Freddie Flintoff admission about I’m A Celebrity ‘cheating’ that cameras missed
Beloved cricket icon Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff was crowned King of the Jungle after winning the Australian version of I’m A Celeb in 2015 – but later admitted he cheated
Freddie Flintoff admitted to bending the rules to win I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!. The England cricket legend appeared on the first Australian series of the show in 2015 and triumphantly emerged as King of the Jungle.
But his victory was laced with deception. Throughout his stint on the show, filmed in Kruger Park in South Africa – rather than the Australian jungle used for the UK version – Flintoff took secret cigarette breaks, even though he isn’t a smoker.
He also topped up his water canteen illegally and manipulated a Bushtucker trial by lying about his fears, ensuring an easier challenge. “I said ‘I’m a smoker,’ which I’m not by any stretch,” the 47-year-old said on BBC Radio 5 Live in 2018.
“In Australia, I knew it’s illegal to smoke on Aussie TV. They don’t let you smoke on Aussie TV… They asked me how many I wanted a day so I said five knowing I’d have to do it off screen.
“I’d walk out the gate and there’d be a chair with a cigarette that I didn’t have. I just sat and had some peace to myself, not filmed and in nobody’s hearing.”
READ MORE: Freddie Flintoff quit new job over money dispute but had £9million payout to fall back onREAD MORE: Everything you need to know about I’m A Celebrity evictions so far
On the show, campmates are expected to collect water from a local stream and boil it in order to drink it. But Flintoff skipped the hassle by sneaking into a nearby medical hut to fill up his water bottle – something he claimed he did five times a day.
“I also then noticed that there’s a medical 50 yards away. In the medical was, a water tub. No water fountain. So I picked all the putty out the window and took it out. And then filled my bottle five times a day.
“I was more hydrated than I’d ever been in my life,” he joked. “[My wee] was crystal clear. After a few days, I was thinking, ‘They must think I’m a camel.’ Nobody’s seen me drink.”
What’s more, Freddie was playing the system from the very beginning, having lied about his fears after signing up for the show. “You fill a form in about what you don’t like,” he explained.
“It’s out there that I don’t like the dark, so I thought I’d be truthful about that. [But] another one I put was frogs because I don’t mind frogs. I did this challenge and they dumped a load of frogs on my head.”
Deception or not, Flintoff charmed viewers with his wit and charisma, ultimately edging out Aussie Rules star Barry Hall to claim first place. He took home $100,000 (£50,000) for his chosen charity, the McGrath Foundation.
Flintoff is among several English celebrities who have appeared on the Australian series, including Joey Essex, Stephen K. Amos and Paul Burrell, while cricket legend Shane Warne is another notable former contestant.
