David Haye calls Adam Thomas ‘brittle-spirited’ following I’m A Celeb row
By Lauren Del Fabbro, Press Association Entertainment Reporter
Boxer David Haye has described his I’m A Celebrity… South Africa campmate, actor Adam Thomas, “weak” and “brittle-spirited” following their heated confrontation on the reality show.
Haye, 45, has faced controversy since appearing on the ITV show, after criticising Thomas for opting out of a bushtucker trial.
During the episode, Thomas said he was “dehydrated” and “not feeling well” and later explained that he has psoriatic arthritis, which is a long-term condition that causes joint pain, swelling and stiffness, according to the NHS.
In response, Haye called Thomas “useless”, adding: “Who gives a shit if he doesn’t feel well. He’s a grown-ass man.”
Since the episodes aired, Thomas admitted to his brothers Scott and Ryan on their At Home With The Thomas Bro’s podcast that he went to therapy after a “tough time with one of the campmates” pushed him to “breaking point”, on the show.
Speaking to the Sun, Haye said: “Bit of banter back and forth, if that’s what breaks him, obviously that means he comes from a very soft, padded lifestyle.
“If a few comments breaks him, how soft is he? How weak, how brittle-spirited is he?
“Adam’s like a kind of chihuahua. I’m more of a Doberman or a boxer or a pit bull or something.”
“He doesn’t need therapy” he added.
“He needs to do some push-ups, he needs to get out there and get in amongst other males who are powerful, who do stuff and don’t sit there talking all the goddamned time about how hard life is.”
When asked if he would have reacted differently had he known of Thomas’s health condition, he said: “I couldn’t care less.
“Everyone’s got something.
“If you go to the doctor and say, I don’t feel well because of this, that, the other, they’ll prescribe you something, give you some pills, and now you’ve got this thing to hold on to.
“So any situation that might be uncomfortable, you go, ‘Look, I’ve got this doctor’s note’ and they’ll all feel sorry for me.
“I think whatever the trial was, he didn’t like the sound of it, so he’s lying in bed, so I gave him some shit about that.”
The boxer went on to deny accusations of bullying and said: “I didn’t feel when I was in there I was bullying anybody. There was no physical, there was no threats, not from me anyway.
“It was just banter to another guy who was nearly 40 years old.”
Haye added that he thinks Thomas will win the show “because he is the victim” of the series.
Despite the criticism, he said that he “actually got on” with the actor and that he apologised to him on the flight back to the UK.
He said: “It might seem like we are arch enemies, but I’ve got no beef with him whatsoever and I don’t think he’s got any beef with me.”
Haye left the jungle on Monday night and insisted he was “bantering” with the Manchester-born actor, but admitted he is an “extremist” and may have pushed too far.
The comments come ahead of the finale on Friday where the finalists, Thomas, Olympian Sir Mo Farah, former football manager Harry Redknapp, former Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt and actor and DJ Craig Charles will compete for the chance to be named the ‘ultimate legend 2026’.
Adam Thomas has been contacted for comment.
