Featured Image Credit: ITV
Topics: Im a Celebrity, Harry Redknapp, Football
Ryan Smart
I'm A Celebrity... South Africa campmate Craig Charles has claimed that Adam Thomas was 'like a coiled spring' during his row with Jimmy Bullard - and that ITV had to 'water down' the footage before it was broadcast.
Emmerdale and Waterloo Road star Thomas was left furious with Bullard after the ex-Hull and Wigan midfielder decided to quit a team trial partway through.
In footage broadcast on Wednesday evening, the eight remaining celebrities were each in pairs for the trial, with the losing pair being eliminated from the show.
But after Thomas had completed his part of the trial, his partner Bullard decided to take the opportunity to say 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here' - thus eliminating both of them from the show.
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Thomas was left apoplectic at Bullard, calling him a 'c**t' and a 'p***k' before shouting: "If you wanted to go, then f***ing go. Don't take me with you.
"Quitter, bro. I don't quit. You chose to do the show. You chose!"
Read more: Footage of Jimmy Bullard's explosive bust-up with I'm A Celeb campmate Adam Thomas emerges
Bullard apologised immediately after quitting the trial, and would tell the cameras that his decision was nothing to do with Thomas, but was down to the fact that he 'wanted to go home'.
According to The Sun, Bullard wanted to return home as his father was 'struggling with his health' before he went into the South African jungle.
The show is pre-recorded, and presenters Ant and Dec later stepped in to allow Thomas to remain in camp after other campmates agreed to let him stay.
The 37-year-old would make it all the way to the final four and will compete in Friday's live final. Reports claim that Bullard's attendance at the final, which will take place in London, is not certain.
Thomas will be joined in the final by Sir Mo Farah, Harry Redknapp and Craig Charles.
Shortly after the row, Redknapp and Charles were visibly less than impressed at not only Bullard's decision, but also Thomas' furious reaction.
The final four - minus Thomas, who could not attend - all took part in an interview with ITV's This Morning on Friday.
And Charles, a BBC radio DJ and actor who spent 10 years on Coronation Street, made some surprising revelations about what actually went down in camp between Thomas and Bullard.
He also addressed claims that Thomas was being 'bullied' by former British boxer David Haye.
"We didn't see it until that final morning [before the first elimination] when I thought, David got a bit nasty. I thought, this is turning into bullying now," he said.
"On that final morning, I found myself in the perfect position when we were voting people out.
"I saved Adam, knowing that the other two were not going to pick David - thereby ensuring David went home. We were there for him.
"We didn't know the extent of his troubles. And that brings us to the Jimmy Bullard incident, right?
"They watered it down, it was unbroadcastable as it was. It was deeply traumatic and it was really upsetting.
"It was Adam, he was so wound up, 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."
Charles went on to claim that his and Redknapp's responses, which were criticised by some on social media as supposedly downplaying the row, were actually not representative of what ended up being broadcast.
"Mine and Harry's response to that was because of what we'd really seen. 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. It was just about what he did, and we saved him again because I thought Adam was my friend.
"I just remember tears of laughter. We laughed so much in that jungle. Adam laughed so much in that jungle.
"To come back and see it all reduced to a grudge match... and it wasn't. It was just that one morning. I kind of manipulated it to get David out, and I thought it would all go back and it would be great.
He was then hugged by presenter Alison Hammond, to which an emotional Charles added: "It's these guys [Farah and Redknapp], by association, have suffered reputational damage.
"With this social media campaign, where they've given this 80-year-old man [Redknapp] dogs abuse on social media, just because he said, 'I don't like the way that Adam reacted'.
"We didn't like the way Jimmy reacted. We didn't like the way Adam reacted."