by James Haskell and Mike Tindall have revealed they hid in the toilets while taking part in I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in order to avoid conflicts.
The former rugby union players appeared on the ITV reality show in 2019 and 2022 respectively.
Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain (GMB) on Monday, Tindall said Haskell gave him “really good advice” before entering the Australian jungle.
“As a man it is very important to be honest and open and match that with your actions”
James Haskell reflects on the importance of speaking out as he and Mike Tindall discuss their brand new book, ‘The Good, The Bad & The Rugby’, which documents their podcast show reflecting… pic.twitter.com/4o8znJiKTY
– Good Morning Britain (@GMB) November 4, 2024
The 46-year-old said: “(It was) basically to avoid…this might sound negative, but obviously the cameras are on you 24 hours a day, but the real centerpiece of what you see is to about 20 minutes.
“So everything can become what it could become. And he told me, “Stay away from anything that’s not comfortable.”
“And (if) all else fails, you don’t understand the situation, just go to the bathroom.”
“I hid in the dunny a lot,” Haskell said.
The 39-year-old added: “We have to remember that the show is an incredible opportunity.
“But there are people who deal with pressure very differently and who put their own problems at the door. And people have very different political views, whatever they are, from religious views.
“You sit around, you’re very bored, and one of the things people forget is that I’m a celebrity… You think you’re punishing someone by giving them all the chores – actually punishing them is not (being) chosen for anything, because you have to sit all day doing nothing, and it is excruciatingly painful.
“So (Matt) Hancock, obviously everyone was thinking about punishing him. They gave him more airtime, everything he wanted and he had the time of his life.
“If you wanted to punish him, you should have left him in that camp and not done anything, because when you sit there, people come down and sit.”
Haskell remembers walking away after someone in the camp told him that Barack Obama was “the most corrupt president that ever lived.”
He added: “People sometimes forget where they are. So I just told Mike, “Look, you’re not going to solve anything. Pick your battles, and if it gets scandalous, go sit in the dunny.
“I’ve sat behind that curtain many times and asked myself, ‘Why did I agree to do this?’.”
Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock took part in I’m A Celebrity in 2022 and was subjected to numerous punitive and disgusting tasks, including being forced to eat a camel’s penis and being covered in creepy crawlies.
He had resigned from his Cabinet post the previous year for violating social distancing guidelines by hugging and kissing an aide in his office.
This year’s I’m A Celebrity contestants are yet to be revealed by ITV.
Former Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse, boxing champion Barry McGuigan and N-Dubz member Tulisa Contostavlos are among the famous faces reportedly heading to the Australian jungle.
