Adam Thomas has spoken out about his furious row with Jimmy Bullard during I'm A Celebrity... South Africa for the first time.
Thomas, who plays Donte Charles on Waterloo Road and was formerly part of the Emmerdale cast, was livid with Bullard after the ex-Premier League midfielder quit a team trial.
Bullard shouted the phrase 'I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here' to end the trial, for which he had been paired with Thomas.
As per the trial's stipulation, both campmates were eliminated from the show as a result.
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Thomas called Bullard a 'c**t' and a 'p***k', and shouted: "If you wanted to go, then f***ing go. Don't take me with you."
He then labelled the ex-Wigan and Hull star as a 'quitter'.
Bullard apologised after quitting the trial, and it was later reported that the reason for his exit was because his father had been 'struggling with his health'.
Presenters Ant and Dec allowed Thomas to stay in camp after his participation was put to an extraordinary vote among the remaining campmates.
Read more: Ant and Dec make sudden rule change after Jimmy Bullard and Adam Thomas spat
He will compete in Friday's live final, which will take place in London, alongside fellow finalists Harry Redknapp, Sir Mo Farah and Craig Charles.
The other campmates have all been invited to attend, although prior to the show getting underway, it was unclear as to whether Bullard would show up.
Thomas was absent from an interview with all four finalists on ITV's This Morning on Friday, with no reason given for his absence.
Radio DJ and actor Charles claimed that ITV 'watered down' their broadcast of the row between Thomas and Bullard, stating that the original footage was 'unbroadcastable'.
His comments were in response to social media criticism aimed at himself and Redknapp over supposedly downplaying the row with their reactions, with Charles explaining that ITV hadn't 'watered down' their reactions.
"Mine and Harry's response to that was because of what we'd really seen," he said. "They had to water it down but they didn't water down our responses. So people are kind of thinking, it wasn't that bad. We weren't picking on Adam at all."
He stated that Thomas was 'so wound up', adding: "He was so aggressive. He was like a coiled spring. It looked like he was going to attack Jimmy.
"He was dropping F bombs and C bombs. ITV couldn't broadcast it. I'm not blaming ITV. They had to do that."
Thomas has now issued his own statement via social media, in which he admitted that 'not everything was shown' in regards to his bust-up with Bullard.
However, he also launched into a passionate defence of his fellow campmates, stating that it is 'genuinely disappointing to see any negativity directed their way' and that he will 'forever be grateful' for the time he spent in camp.
"Spending time in camp with these incredible people has been nothing short of a privilege," he wrote.
"From listening to Harry's stories, to Craig's poems, to Mo's unreal cooking, to Scarlett [Moffatt]'s love for life, every moment brought something special.
"They truly kept the spirit of camp alive, and I'll forever be grateful for the memories we've shared.
"I've seen some comments going around about things that some of my fellow campmates said during the row between me and Jimmy and I just want to make one thing clear, I completely stand by them.
"Not everything was shown, and honestly, a lot of it probably couldn't be aired anyway, I'll hold my hands up to that. So I understand where they were coming from, and I respect their honesty."
"It's genuinely disappointing to see any negativity directed their way because they don't deserve it," he said, of the social media criticism towards his fellow finalists, particularly Charles and Redknapp.
"They are some of the kindest, most genuine people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.
"Being in the final alongside them is a real honour. I've got nothing but respect for these people, and if anyone deserves to win this, it's them. They have my vote."
The I'm A Celebrity... South Africa final gets underway from London at 7:30pm on Friday evening, and will be broadcast live on ITV1.
There is a hour-long gap between the first segment ending at 9pm and the second part of the final, which is due to run for an extra 30 minutes, starting at 10pm.
Topics: Im a Celebrity, Football
Ryan Smart