Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly wasted no time in poking fun at the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! South Africa final drama on tonight’s Britain’s Got Talent.
The Geordie duo skipped out onstage to host the first live semi-final of the series.
Ever the professionals, they were in high spirits, showing no signs of being knocked by Friday night’s argument.
Still, that didn’t stop them from joking about it.
Alluding to the chaos involving Adam Thomas, Jimmy Bullard, and David Haye during the live All Stars finale, an excited Ant, 50, began: ‘I just love live telly, me!’
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‘Nothing better!’, Dec, also 50, chimed in.
The pair then headed down to the judges’ table, where they issued a stern warning to Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon, and KSI in the hopes of avoiding a repeat of last night’s shenanigans.
‘Now, judges, I wanna clear something up here. Let’s be serious for a second,’ said Ant.
‘We had quite enough drama on the telly last night,’ he quipped, leading to laughs from the audience and Amanda noting, ‘Yeah, you did!’
‘So, can you please, you four, be on your best behaviour tonight?’, Ant pleaded.
Simon then admitted that the panel could be ‘very, very naughty’, to which Dec agreed.
‘If you misbehave, you’ll be out quicker than Sinitta,’ he added in reference to how the So Macho pop star stormed off when the row between Jimmy and Adam escalated, wanting no part of it.
But Amanda was also keen to praise the highly decorated presenters for how they handled last night’s carnage.
When asked if she’d be able to ‘handle the pressure’ of taking charge of the night’s Golden Buzzer (which can be used once each live show to send an act straight to the final), she responded: ‘After watching your extraordinary performance last night, boys, I learned from the best. I can handle the pressure.’
Taking to X as the episode aired, @Tom7567179925 also complimented: ‘Ant & Dec making jokes about the ridiculousness of last night. Very funny good job lads.’
‘Ant and Dec are just happy that no one will be shouting at them tonight…’, said @LenzoToggz.
@corriedalexo laughed: ‘ant and dec referencing the drama last night, I love them’.
Others said the two are ‘earning their pennies’ this week with two live shows on the trot for ITV, also complimenting their surprising new looks as they rocked matching burgundy suits for the first time over black tuxes.
Indeed, they’ve had quite the 48 hours, with I’m A Celeb fans lauding how they intervened after retired footballer Jimmy, 47, and pro boxer David, 45, came to blows with actor Adam, 37, last night.
It was probably never going to be a live final of sunshine and rainbows, as it was inevitable that the explosive argument from the series (which was pre-filmed last September) would be discussed.
And it appeared Jimmy had been sitting on his feelings for a while, having clashed with Adam when he almost compromised the Waterloo Road star’s time in camp.
During a Bushtucker Trial against Ashley Roberts and Sinitta, Jimmy, who was paired with Adam, refused to participate, uttering the dreaded phrase, ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here,’ despite having watched Adam kick off the trial with full energy and in the knowledge that the losing pair could be sent home.
In an explicit rant, Adam stormed over to confront him, shouting and demanding an answer for his decision.
The blazing row left viewers (and the other campmates) stunned, but Jimmy has since complained that the full picture wasn’t shown, claiming Adam dropped the ‘C-bomb’ and accusing him of being ‘abusive, aggressive, and intimidating’.
During the final, he also asked Ant and Dec if they agreed with him, to which Ant said: ‘No, it wasn’t. I was there.’
Adam’s response came in the form of an apology and taking ‘full responsibility’ for his actions, insisting that he had ‘nothing but love for Jimmy’.
The peace lasted mere seconds, though, as David – who had his own run-ins in camp with divisive comments about women – interrupted the exchange with: ‘You’ve got a funny way of showing it.’
Dec was subsequently praised for interjecting and shutting him down, declaring: ‘David, you weren’t even there!’
The scenes were described as a ‘car crash’ by social media users, who cringed as the other campmates, including Scarlett Moffatt, Gemma Collins, and Harry Redknapp, could only watch on and cringe.
They also led to Jimmy and David allegedly being ‘kicked out’ of the studio, preventing them from appearing on sister show Unpacked afterwards due to an uncomfortable atmosphere.
Ultimately, Adam got the last laugh, as he was crowned the latest Jungle Legend, winning the show after a public vote.
However, there’s no denying his win was overshadowed by the drama, and the ex-Emmerdale star was noticeably deflated as the show came to an end, barely smiling as he was handed his crown.
He later took to Instagram with a reflective post, explaining how his second jungle stint ‘was not always easy’ but filled him with pride for how he ‘stayed true to [himself]’.
‘I have realised that when people try to dim your light, it says more about them than it ever will about you,’ he wrote in part.
‘This experience has shown me my strength in ways I never imagined. Not because of any title or recognition, but because I stayed kind, I stayed grounded and I stayed real.’
Adam went on to praise his wife for ‘standing by [him] when things were tough’ and thanked his followers for their support.
‘And to those who doubted me or tried to bring me down, I carry no negativity towards you,’ he concluded. ‘I have already won in the ways that matter most. I have love, I have happiness and I have stayed true to myself, and that is something no one can ever take away from me.’
Britain’s Got Talent continues next weekend on ITV1 and ITVX.
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