David Haye has confirmed the rumours that he is planning to sue ITV over claims he was unfairly edited on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! South Africa.
Haye found himself at the centre of numerous controversies during his stint in the South African jungle, including saying his girlfriend Sian Osborne had the personality of an 'ugly bird' and bullying allegations over his behaviour towards series winner Adam Thomas.
The drama didn't end after the professional boxer exited the jungle either, with the 45-year-old and ex-footballer Jimmy Bullard being kicked out of the ITV production's live finale after the pair repeatedly caused disruption on air.
Now Haye has spoken out for the first time since the series wrapped, revealing that he is preparing legal action against the broadcaster.
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Taking to Instagram to share his version of events, Haye began: "I’ve been inundated with people wanting a statement in regards to the legal situation with ITV and this defamation case.
"The answer is yes, I am. I’m not sure if you know me that well, but those who do know that I don’t like getting pushed around. I don’t like people taking advantage.
"I’ve had stuff happen in the past, I’ve let certain stuff go, but as I’ve got older, I’m like, ‘nah, you’re taking the p**s’. I’m going to take it as far as it needs to go."
The boxer went on to accuse ITV of 'manipulating' scenes on the spin-off series to create a 'certain narrative'.
"Once the tapes have been viewed and the evidence has been presented, they’ll realise that this reality TV might not be that real, maybe it’s manipulated heavily and directed in a certain narrative for a specific reason," he continued.
"I’m looking forward to a judge seeing exactly what went down, so they can make their decision."
Haye's statement follows weeks of speculation that he was looking to gain £10 million from legal action, with a source telling The Sun that 'he is incandescent with rage about how the whole series has been handled and feels he’s being made a scapegoat by ITV'.
However, Haye has now claimed that he is hoping to 'way more' from his planned legal case.
"There’s lots of different elements I can’t talk about, but in regards to how much this claim is going to be, I’m hearing this £10 million number banded around," he said.
"The number I’m going to hit them with is way more than that."
LADbible Group has approached ITV for comment.
Everything that's happened since the chaotic I'm a Celeb final
With two potential lawsuits and plenty of bombshell interviews, the I'm a Celeb drama shows no signs of stopping.
Saturday 25 April
Adam Thomas speaks out for the first time after his win, writing on Instagram: "It was not always easy, there were moments that could have broken me, but I stayed true to myself and that is something I will always be proud of.
"To those who doubted me or tried to bring me down, I carry no negativity towards you. I have already won in the ways that matter most. I have love, I have happiness and I have stayed true to myself, and that is something no one can ever take away from me.”
Meanwhile, Sinitta also issues an Instagram statement, which reads: "Before I walked out, all I wanted to say was this: I hate that people are being called bullies and that there’s bad blood between us. I had a wonderful time with everyone, despite one difficult incident, and I truly hope we can hold on to the life lessons and the incredible experience we shared together. I adore them all.’
“I also feel that the word ‘bully’ is a very serious accusation. It’s something I don’t believe should be used lightly. There are too many truly bad people in the world already, and it’s dangerous to label good people in that way."
Gemma Collins also writes on Instagram: "What a show up!!! Absolutely disgusted with Jimmy and David’s behavior the biggest show up in TV history!!! What an EMBARRASSMENT!"
The Sun publishes footage of David Haye and Jimmy Bullard exiting the studio where the final was filmed, with David claiming on the phone: "We’ve been kicked out the show."
Sunday 26 April
The Sun reports Bullard is mulling legal action, with a source saying the reason he repeated the phrase 'abusive, aggressive and intimidating' nine times was because that behaviour from Thomas would be considered a breach of contract.
Monday 27 April
Appearing on TalkSport, Harry Redknapp jokes he thought he’d ‘gone to the wrong show’.
He said: “I thought it was The Jeremy Kyle Show. I’ve never seen so much aggravation.
“I thought I’m in the wrong studio here. All the crowd is shouting and things. Oh, it was a nightmare."
Sinitta appears on Good Morning Britain to explain why she walked out of the final, saying: "I felt like they had just blown it.
"It’s like you had a point, yes, Jimmy didn’t deserve to be treated that way, yes, there was banter, but it actually felt like bullying to me.
“You know what, we have all lost why we are here now. Because you are all shouting and you’re all trying to get your things in. Now it does look like you’re bullies because you’re goading and saying stuff.”
Tuesday 28 April
A source tells The Sun Haye is looking to sue ITV for £10 million, claiming the show was edited to make him look bad.
The lawsuit is apparently to 'recover lost earnings' after his reputation took a beating following the broadcast.
Wednesday 29 April
Adam Thomas takes to his podcast At Home with the Thomas Bro's to deliver a blistering takedown of what happened on the final.
He said: “This is part of my DNA now, it’s made me the person that I am.
“It’s hard because right now I can’t see any light, I can’t see the positive in it.”
He went on to say he felt he had been ‘exploited’, adding: “I think you can see it at the end of it, I felt like I was just in the midst of it all and it wasn’t even about me.”
Topics: ITV, Im A Celebrity, David Haye
Brenna Cooper