I'm A Celebrity...South Africa's Adam Thomas claims to be 'thrown under the bus' by co-stars and feels 'exploited' by ITV
Adam Thomas has opened up about his feelings following the explosive I'm A Celebrity...South Africa live final on April 24.
Adam Thomas feels "exploited" by ITV and claimed to have been "thrown under the bus" by his I'm A Celebrity...South Africa campmates.
The actor, 37, looked downcast after being crowned the I'm A Celebrity...Legend, moments after an almighty bust-up between him, ex-footballer Jimmy Bullard, and former boxer David Haye over how the series was edited during the April 24 live final.
Jimmy, 47, accused Adam of being "abusive, aggressive and intimidating" in a pair's trial, shot in 2025, when the latter launched into an expletive-filled rant after Jimmy ended the trial, which meant both going home until their co-stars decided to save Adam.
The former Wigan Athletic midfielder claimed the explosive row was much worse, in that Adam also used the C-word, and in the final, Jimmy called on ITV to show the full unedited version - which host Ant McPartlin, 50, insisted was "unbroadcastable".
David, 45, meanwhile, was accused by viewers of "bullying" Adam on I'm A Celebrity...South Africa, after he branded the Waterloo Road alum "useless” and “lazy" following the actor’s withdrawal from challenges because of feeling dehydrated and ill.
The sportsman denied it was "bullying", but the comments were "banter", and he backed Jimmy's claim that the series was edited to favour Adam.
Adam told his siblings, ex-Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas, 41, and Love Island 2016 hunk Scott Thomas, 37, his feelings since the explosive final, on Wednesday's (29.04.26's) episode of the At Home with the Thomas Bro's podcast.
Adam said: "I feel like I’m getting blamed, and I had no control over the edit, how they were going to show me, how they were going to show other campmates, and yet I still feel like I’m being accused of that.
"And what the heartbreaking thing for me is, I feel like everyone’s basically trying to defend themselves, but by doing so, blaming me for their actions, right?”
"And that’s the worst bit for me, especially some of the campmates that I got on with.
"And it’s just sad because I see so many of these people going on these shows and talking about their experience, but in the meantime, while trying to defend themselves, they’re throwing me under the bus, right?"
He continued: "And that just breaks my heart, man, because throughout all of this, even when I was in there, to when I came out, to now, I am not blaming anyone.
"I’m not pointing the finger at anyone else and going, you know, you shouldn’t have done this, you should have done that.
"Like I take full responsibility for my actions and everything that I did in there, even, you know, between me and David, I take full responsibility because, again, I feel like it was my fault.
"If I'm being honest with you, it was my fault I let that happen to me because I should have spoken up sooner.
"And if I did that, maybe this would have all been put to bed a lot sooner, and it would have been brushed under the carpet, and we could have just moved on, but I didn't."
Later in the episode, Adam admitted he felt "exploited" by ITV.
The Emmerdale alum explained: "It’s hard, the whole experience, that live show, I just felt like I’d just been exploited, and I think you can see it, at the end of it. I felt like I was in the midst of it all, and it wasn’t even about me."
After filming wrapped for the chaotic live final David - who, with Jimmy, was "kicked out" of the studio for "telling the truth" - and Adam had a private phone call.
The actor revealed: "I spoke to David when I got out and I asked him, 'Why did you keep doing this to me? Why did you do it?'
"He told me, 'I’ve never met a nicer guy. I just wanted to break you.'
"Now, if that isn’t classed as bullying, I don’t know what is."
Adam did not speak up at the time because his campmates were "passing it off as banter", which the star now regrets.
He added: “So I just want to be clear to anyone out there that is being bullied, I don’t care what anyone says.
"If you know how you feel and if that is happening to you, then speak up no matter what anyone else says, because if you don’t, it will just carry on and carry on.”
Jimmy is believed to be taking legal action against ITV for not showing a fair representation of his bust-up with Adam in the challenge, claiming the latter received a favourable edit.
An ITV spokesperson said: "We showed an accurate and fair representation of events."
David, meanwhile, intends to sue ITV for causing "irreparable damage to his brand" for up to £10 million over being "deliberately edited to be the pantomime villain and made to look misogynistic, aggressive and a bully".
