Ant McPartlin shares what he said to Jimmy Bullard in I'm A Celeb car park 'row'

The continued fallout from the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here: South Africa season two finale has seen Ant and Dec finally speak out about their side of events, including a heated car park moment with Jimmy Bullard.

The most recent season of the I’m A Celeb spin-off has been the most dramatic of either version of the show, with multiple different feuds all within one series - and it all came to a head during Friday's live final.

Public feuds have developed between Sinitta and Gemma Collins, Adam Thomas and Jimmy Bullard, Adam Thomas and David Haye, as well as Ant and Dec getting into an argument on TV with both Jimmy Bullard and David Haye, which seemingly spilled out into the behind-the-scenes of the show.

Viral photos appeared to show Bullard and Ant getting into it after their on air argument

Bullard’s issue with the show originates from his claim ITV decided to not air the full argument between him and Thomas in which he says that the actor called him ‘the C word’.

The ex-footballer also claims that Thomas was ‘aggressive’ towards him, a claim that he made in the live finale before being shut down by Ant and Dec - both of whom stated they were there and it was not as Bullard described.

The argument reportedly led to Bullard and Haye being 'kicked out' of the show, with pictures appearing to show the ex-footballer confronting Ant in the car park as the TV host was accompanied by security.

Ant addresses claims he had an argument with Bullard

In a new podcast episode of Hanging Out with Ant and Dec, Ant has dismissed that version of events.

Ant stated that it was a ‘weird night of TV’ and compared it to Jerry Springer, with Dec stating that they didn’t know until late on whether Bullard was coming or not.

While on camera Haye appeared to be raging, the duo were surprised by his comment backstage, saying: "I spoke to David first—he was saying, 'How brilliant was that?' I said it was certainly eventful TV, though I wouldn’t necessarily call it brilliant. We had a bit of a laugh and left it on good terms."

Ant continued, however, explaining what really happened with Bullard, and it’s a bit more disappointing than the pictures make it out to be.

He said: "I went over to Jimmy, shook his hand, and said, 'Look after yourself'… There was no confrontation—no shouting. And despite what was reported, I wasn’t flanked by security guards. One of them was just helping carry my bags to the car."

Speaking about the finale, Ant suggested it ‘was a shame the crowning moment of I’m A Celebrity South Africa couldn't have been more celebratory’.

He continued: "If anything, remember it for Craig Charles having a bath in the washing up bowl that's how I would remember it."

Ant also said it was a ‘shame’ because they were initially supposed to ask every celebrity a question, but were unable to because of the scenes involving Bullard and Haye.

Haye hits out at Thomas and shows no sign of dropping the feud

Ant and Dec are not the only ones to have spoken out to share their side of things, with Haye having spoken out publicly about Thomas breaking down in tears over the situation and claims that he 'bullied' him on I'm A Celeb.

Appearing on his podcast with his two brothers Scott and Ryan, Thomas was emotional, saying: "It’s so difficult because even when I got out and I explained what I went through, you guys, my friends, you won’t understand what I went through.

"Even after the live show and everything that happened, I still can’t escape it. I’m on Instagram and TikTok, just the algorithm and everyone talking about it, everyone saying their bit and how they saw it." He claimed the debacle had ruined the show for him and he did not plan to watch it in the future.

Now, Haye has hit out with a brutal video response.

Posting on Instagram today (30 April), he claimed that Thomas had been 'crying and moaning', adding: "Very interesting, very, very interesting to see. He's had a few days to sit down, mull it over, process everything that's happened, him winning I'm a Celebrity, and how he processed it, and it was enlightening.

"Dishing out banter to me and then losing the banter game. I give it back and you start crying and moaning and somehow he's spun it so he's still the victim."

The ex-boxer added: "You're 40 years old and you're moaning that you won a TV competition."