Adam Thomas has heaped praise on his I’m A Celebrity South Africa co-star Gemma Collins, who he says was his biggest supporter and kept him from walking out of the camp
Adam Thomas said he would have quit I’m A Celebrity South Africa if it wasn’t for Gemma Collins. The actor, best known for playing Donte Charles on Waterloo Road, has been reflecting on his experience in the camp in recent days.
During one tense scene, Adam appeared overcome with emotion after former boxer David Haye branded him “useless”. Adam has declined to participate in a Bushtucker Trial due to suffering from psoriatic arthritis, an autoimmune disease causing pain across various joints, stiffness and swelling.
Adam admits that he was “broken” by some of the comments from Haye, who just last night said Adam’s comments about his physical struggles are “just not a frequency I recognise”. But in a sweet social media post on Tuesday, Adam heaped praise on The Only Way Is Essex star, Gemma, for her support throughout the show.
Sharing a snap of the pair in the camp, smiling and embracing one another Adam said of Gemma, who left the show on Monday: “From start to finish you was real, no act, no front, just you. The laughs, the tears, the way you were there for people when they needed it most, especially Me! I was there to pick you up and you did the same for me, had my back every step of the way.
“If I’m being honest, if you wasn’t in there I probably would’ve walked a long time ago. You kept it going for me more than you even know. Everyone can see how special you are. You showed humility, empathy, strength, and still managed to bring the entertainment every single time!!
“As a viewer, you MADE that show for me. No question. Should’ve been in that final, should’ve been crowned, but either way, you’ll always be my queen of the jungle. Best thing to ever come out of that experience for me… was meeting you @gemmacollins.”
Replying to Adam’s post, Gemma said: “This bond will never be broken. You got me through.” Speaking previously about his time on the show, Adam said: “I know on the inside what I was dealing with and truth be told I thought it was all my fault. I now know that’s not the reality… My time in I’m A Celebrity South Africa was one of the toughest things I’ve ever been through, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
“Watching it back hasn’t been easy at all. There were moments I felt pushed to my absolute limit, and if I’m honest, times I didn’t even recognise myself.
“Living with arthritis is something I don’t really talk about, as much as I should do…but in there it really took its toll. My biggest fight was pretending to put on a brave face and trying to hide the pain! that can be exhausting within itself. There were days my body just didn’t want to keep going, but I did.”
He went on to say that since leaving the pre-recorded programme, he has had time to process things and is in a much better place, before adding that he “wanted to walk” on several occasions. Speaking of David, he said: “He broke me in there, he pushed me to my limits, and I’ve told David this, and he’s apologised, and that’s that! I’ve moved on now, am not one to hold a grudge.”
When Adam expressed his discomfort ahead of a trial, Haye responded, saying he didn’t “give a s**t” that the actor was unwell. Speaking after his exit, David said: “No bad blood from my side. Look, I’ve been immersed in tough boxing gyms since I was ten years old.
“Literally fighting daily, much bigger men than myself, pushing myself to the limits, physically and mentally. I won the world heavyweight championship against a seven-foot Russian giant. So when a grown man tells me that a fun TV show – where we’re being paid handsomely every single day – is the hardest thing he’s ever been through, it’s just not a frequency I recognise.”
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