Myleene Klass has been named the winner of I’m A Celebrity…South Africa.
Former Olympic javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread, Diversity dancer and Kiss FM broadcaster Jordan Banjo, former Hear’Say singer and presenter Myleene, and former England cricketer Phil Tufnell were the four prominent faces remaining going into the final.
Myleene, 45, originally came on the programme 17 years ago and was at the core of an incident that went down in show history when she wore an eye-catching white bikini.
Fatima had finished third in season 11, Jordan had finished ninth in season 16, Myleene had finished second in season 6, and Phil had won King of the Jungle in the second season the previous times they featured on the TV programme.
The last episode, however, opened with Phil being voted out by the jury of ex-campmates as they chose the final three.
‘It sits well with me, and I can’t think of three finer individuals to be up there,’ he added.
While the surviving three believed they were done with the trials, their expectations were swiftly shattered when they were hauled out of camp and told they would be taking on Critter Countdown – a challenge in which they would be wearing a helmet that would be packed with creepy crawlies.
Fatima took her sweet time, spending 15 minutes and 10 seconds waiting until the game concluded.
Her strategy of trying to wait things out failed, and she was fired.
Jordan and Myleene returned to camp, reflecting on their different trips to the bush and what they had accomplished.
The next day, it was time to say goodbye to camp and head to their final trial.
The last obstacle, named All You Can Stomach, was an eating trial with a twist.
Throughout the nine rounds, the duo was given a heads-up on which food item would be coming up and had to calculate how many of each item they could stomach, with the one with the highest number being compelled to eat it.
If they succeeded, they received a point; if they failed, their opponent received a point.
Fermented eggs, pig snouts, chicken intestines, mouse tails, and smelly tofu were among the stomach-churning goods.
While Jordan pushed through at times, it appeared that the job had been too much for him when he began dry retching.
Despite making it to the finish of two seasons, Myleene has never competed in an eating challenge before.
‘I’ve always been glad that I’ve avoided it but … bring it on,’ she declared before things kicked off.
She didn’t hesitate, though, and at one point ate 60 mouse tails.
When she challenged herself to consume 40 servings of stinky tofu in five minutes, things got a little heated.
She completed the difficult challenge with 20 seconds to spare and was named the winner (after a short retch in the woods).
Myleene claimed after her triumph that being a mother seemed like a’superpower’ this time, and that she was compelled to achieve to make her children proud.
She claimed that staying in the forest had given her not just bravery, but also numerous life-long friendships.
‘You can’t do it alone… I am blown away at the friendships I’ve come away with.’
Her efforts wowed viewers at home.
‘Take a bow Myleene. Well deserved winner and LEGEND,’ one person posted on Twitter.
‘You are actually superhuman,’ someone else wrote.
Another added: ‘ Myleene is the most deserving winner.’
However another had a word of warning: ‘Myleene please get your stomach checked out after this trial.’
This season’s campmates did not go all the way to Australia, instead spending time camping in South Africa’s Kruger National Park when the series was recorded last year.
The full-line up also included Carol Vorderman, Paul Burrell, Helen Flanagan, Dean Gaffney, Joe Swash, Janice Dickinson, Andy Whyment, Georgia Toffolo, Amir Khan, Gillian McKeith and Shaun Ryder.
Because the series was pre-recorded last year, the campmates put each other up for trials and helped select who went home.
There was also no public poll to choose the winner this time.
I’m A Celebrity…South Africa is streaming on ITVX.
