Awkward moment I’m A Celeb fan insults Ant and Dec live on Unpacked – and stars are forced to laugh it off
AFTER almost 30 years in television, I’m a Celebrity hosts Ant and Dec are rarely lost for words, but now for the first time, the duo have found themselves on the wrong end of the joke.
The pair appeared together on ITV’s I’m a Celeb spin off show, Unpacked, where host Joel Dommett introduced a pre-recorded phoner from a viewer called Julia, who mocked their diminutive status.
The recorded call was played out in the studio for Ant who stands at 5.8 and Dec who is 5’6, respectively. “It’s Julia from Pocklington, I am loving the show it’s the best series ever.
“If Ant and Dec ever fancy a night off, I’d like to nominate my husband Mark and his cousin Brian, as stand ins, because they are both Geordies with a great sense of humour and their quick witted conversations are amazing.
“The only thing is, they are both over 6 ft tall and only one of them supports Newcastle united.”
Cutting in quickly with their signature banter, Ant, 49, quipped: “Well they couldn’t wear any of our clothes because they’re too tall.” And Dec, 49, added: “I’ll leave my boots just in case they fit.”
But it seems that the caller’s comments have angered certain viewers, who feel that the feature was humiliating for Ant and Dec and generally un necessary.
A slew of TV fans vented their frustration on social media site Reddit, with one person describing the callers comments as, ‘bodyshaming.’
One viewer said: “You can tell Ant and Dec didn’t like the bodyshaming they received on the ITV2 aftershow phone call, mentioning their heights for no real reason. Sure, they both poke fun at themselves, but that’s very different from someone coming at you and trying to patronise you for something you can’t change about yourself.
You could see the flash on their faces of cringe and hurt before they realised they had to laugh it off because they were on national TV.”
Then another person questioned the caller’s motivation, they said: “A viewer rang in and started saying lots of compliments then ended with ‘but my husband is 6ft and taller than you both!’ which is just completely bizarre. It’s like she was negging Ant and Dec.”
Meanwhile another viewer questioned the point behind giving the clip airtime in the first place.
They said: “It’s not about having thick skins. If someone came up to you and started laughing saying Jesus Christ your nose is f****** huge. Would you not go ‘well that was a bit rude, mean and strange?’
The issue is not you having thin skin, it’s why they felt the need to be mean in the first place.”
And another person agreed that it was a futile exercise.
“Agree on this. Take the p*** out of anything but not something you can’t change.”
The family friendly TV hosts have been under a bit of pressure this week, after the show was hit by furious Ofcom complaints over a joke they made involving Reverend Richard Coles, 62, and the Church of England.
Host Dec had a laugh when he described Richard and Maura Higgin’s eating challenge as ‘unholy’ after which Ant quipped: “Bum-holey.”
Then the mischievous pair were seen making prayer poses to a background of choral music, while they talked about the Reverend during the live shows.
The Reverend who is openly gay, spent 10 years as a Roman Catholic, but converted to Anlicanism in 2001.
He was appointed vicar at St Mary the Virgin in Northamptonshire in 2011, but retired in 2022.
Indeed Dec, whose late brother, Father Dermott Donnelly, was a Roman Catholic priest, made a joke about the Reverend saying: “It’s the start of a new day, not and the first to wake up was Reverend Richard.”
Ant then jumped in: “And though the night before there had been darkness and a plague of insects had been visited upon him.
But he had receiveth a small bounty that did taste of cheese. And now, praise be, he did rise again.”
The exchange took place as choral music played in the background.
Dec then said: “So basically you are saying Richard had a fright, got some crisps, then had a sleep and got out of bed?”
To which Ant replied: “Yes my child.”
But, after receiving widespread criticism, it seems that the Geordie duo may have to source other jokes to lift the nations spirits.
I'm A Celebrity 2024
i'm A Celebrity is back for its 24th series, with a batch of famous faces living in the Aussie jungle. The Sun's Jake Penkethman takes a look at the stars on the show this year..
Coleen Rooney – Arguably the most famous name in the camp, the leading WAG, known for her marriage to Wayne Rooney, has made a grand return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four had bagged an eye-watering deal worth over £1.5million to be on the show this year making her the highest-paid contestant ever.
Tulisa – The popstar and former X Factor judge has made her triumphant TV comeback by signing up to this year’s I’m A Celeb after shunning TV shows for many years. Known for being a member of the trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV show The X Factor in a multi-million pound deal.
Alan Halsall – The actor, known for playing the long-running role of Tyrone Dobbs on ITV soap opera Coronation Street, was originally signed up to head Down Under last year but an operation threw his scheduled appearance off-course. Now he has become the latest Corrie star to win over both the viewers and his fellow celebrities.
Melvin Odoom – The Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after rising to fame with presenting roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. Melvin has already been for a spin on the Strictly dancefloor and co-hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015 but now he is facing up to his biggest challenge yet – the Aussie jungle.
GK Barry – The UK’s biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has transformed her TikTok stardom into a lucrative career. Aside from her popular social media channels, she hosts the weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and regularly appears on ITV talk show, Loose Women. She has even gone on to endorse popular brands such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers.
Dean McCullough – A rising star amongst this year’s bunch of celebs, Dean first achieved notability through his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was chosen to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has featured prominently ever since. He has enjoyed a crossover to ITV over the past year thanks to his guest slots on Big Brother spin-off show, Late & Live.
Oti Mabuse – The pro dancer has signed up to her latest TV show after making her way through the biggest programmes on the box. She originally found fame on Strictly Come Dancing but has since branched out into the world of TV judging with appearances on former BBC show The Greatest Dancer as well as her current role on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
Danny Jones – The McFly star was drafted into the programme last minute as a replacement for Tommy Fury. Danny is the second member of McFly to enter the jungle, after Dougie Poynter won the show in 2011. He is also considered a rising star on ITV as he’s now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice, along with bandmate Tom Fletcher.
Jane Moore – The Loose Women star and The Sun columnist is braving the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge – having recently split from her husband. It will be Jane’s first foray into reality TV with the telly favourite having always said no to reality shows in the past.
Barry McGuigan – Former pro boxer Barry is the latest fighting champ to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a tough few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danika to bowel cancer. He told The Late Late Show in 2021: “She was such an intrinsic part of the family that every day we ache.”
Maura Higgins – The Irish TV beauty first found fame on Love Island where she found a brief connection with dancer Curtis Pritchard. Since then, she has competed on Dancing On Ice as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty contest, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been working on building up her career in the US by being the social media correspondent and host of Aftersun to accompany Love Island USA. She even guest hosted an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, in place of Maya Jama last year.
Rev. Richard Coles – Former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles is a late arrival on I’m A Celebrity, and he’s ready to spill the beans on his former employer. The former Communards and Strictly star, said the BBC did not know its a**e from its elbow last year. An insider said: “Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth.”