I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here fans were left stunned on Sunday’s show as boxer, Barry McGuigan was named as one of the bottom two contestants in the elimination vote.
The second star to be evicted from the jungle was BBC Radio One DJ, Dean McCullough, who joined journalist Jane Moore as the first two celebrities to be eliminated from the current series.
Speaking afterwards to Ant and Dec, the Northern Irish star said that he “really, really enjoyed” his experience on the show, which was “nothing like he expected it to be”.
Although McCullough has been a polarising figure on this year’s show, often angering Ant McPartlin for his lack of effort in some Bushtucker Trials, the same can’t be said for McGuigan.
The former world champion boxer has been a quiet but wholesome presence on the show, striking up a close friendship with Danny Jones and emotionally opening up about the death of his daughter.
However, his name being mentioned as two of the least popular remaining campmates, took some viewers by surprise and voiced their shock on social media.
“I never want to hear ‘Barry, it might be you again. This is a warning to us all,” wrote one person.
“What the f*** do you mean it might’ve been Barry?” asked a second viewer.
“BARRY IT MIGHT BE YOU. I’m sory???” Not Barry. He’s so wholesome, how is he in the bottom two?” exclaimed a third fan.
A fourth said: “Thank God for that. I’d have knocked my telly out with a jab, cross, uppercut combo if legend Barry McGuigan would’ve been voted off.”
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That being said, McGuigan has been involved in one of the biggest pieces of drama on I’m a Celeb this year when he and Danny Jones, placed Jane Moore and Tulisa Contostavlos in charge of washing up.
Moore called McGuigan and Jones “ageist and sexist” after the chores for the camp were revealed, complaining she had specifically asked them not to be given washing up.
While discussing which campmates should take each job in the camp, McGuigan said wood duty needed to be done by “somebody who’s strong and has good stamina”.
Jones then suggested Moore be on washing up, saying: “I think we have to put Jane on washing up but the only thing I want to say is have we gone a bit male heavy on the strenuous jobs?”
McGuigan justified the decision, saying: “I think that’s a fair comment but I don’t think they’d thank us after a few days.”
When Moore was informed she and Contostavlos would be on washing duty she shouted back: “Oh what? Is that because we’re women?”
“It seems much like the 1950s!” she complained, while later insisting that she was just “winding him [McGuigan] up”.
