Ant McPartlin SLAMS Dean McCullough after ‘useless’ campmate loses another I’m A Celeb trial after ‘refusing to try’
ANT McPartlin has slammed ‘useless’ Dean McCullough after he lost another I’m A Celeb trial last night.
Radio 1 presenter Dean, 32, and GK Barry, 25, failed miserably while taking on Drown in the Dumps – and it’s not just viewers who were left frustrated with their efforts.
After the pair failed to win any stars, it was especially difficult for Dean to break the news to camp – especially as he’d also fallen flat in the previous day’s task.
Speaking on ITV2’s spin-off show, I’m A Celebrity Unpacked, Ant and his presenting partner Declan Donnelly were quizzed by hosts Joel Dommett, Sam Thompson, and Kemi Rodgers on Dean’s double defeat.
Dec said: “We are genuinely disappointed because you are prepared to do the whole trial and you want to see the whole thing.
“There’s a lot of time gone into the trials, so when it’s called early, you’re like, ‘Oh.'”
Ant chimed in, admitting they kept the conversation going with Dean to enjoy what little of the trial they could.
He said: “That’s why we continued to ask him some questions after because we were really enjoying it.”
Dec lightened the mood, adding: “But on the other side we’re like, ‘Oh, bit of an early finish, let’s get out and get a suntan.'”
The duo also highlighted the impact Dean’s failure had on the crew, who put lots of effort into crafting the elaborate challenges.
Ant explained: “Yeah, there are loads of people that have built the trial and come up with it, they just want to see it done properly.
“Even in the past when we’ve had people not go through with it, we’ve sometimes brought the trials back because we want them to be seen.”
He didn’t hold back on his frustration, saying: “I got quite annoyed at one point because it’s a bit like, ‘If you can’t do it, you can’t do it but just try it, try it.’
“If it’s physically impossible then fine, but at least try. There was a lot of not trying for quite a few minutes and then they ran out of time.”
Dean and GK – who were voted to do the latest trial by the public – were in high spirits before they headed off.
But little did they know, they were set to swim to the bottom of tanks to unlock stars with a key.
When they arrived at the trial, hosts Ant and Dec explained that one of them would have to go into the tank at the bottom, while the other one would go in the top one.
Dean, who was at the top, had to try and find the holes to find the keys, which was then dropped down to GK in the bottom one.
To make matters worse, water started to fill up through the top into the bottom – leaving the pair petrified.
After Dean got hold off his first key, GK missed it and it went into the water below her.
The podcaster didn’t want to dive down into the water, meaning that they lost the key.
With just two minutes to go, GK decided to give it a go and try to unlock the padlocks below.
However none of them opened for her.
Unfortunately the pair didn’t manage to get a single star – meaning that they went back to the camp empty handed.
Fans were previously convinced Dean was “faking his tears” when he quit his first trial, Sinister Sarcophagus.
It came to an abrupt end when Dean couldn’t cope with sand filling up into the mummy figurine.
He repeatedly apologised for pulling out so early – and burst into tears as he thought about telling his campmates he’d only got two stars.
However, the DJ went from crying to quickly making a quip about Ant being able to afford 10k on the sarcophagus used in the trial.
Ant had said, “I spent £10,000 on that sarcophagus,” after Dean called time on his participation.
He soon shot back, “You can afford it!”
One viewer said: “Dean pretending to cry, looking for the camera. Desperately trying to get nominated for every trial.”
Another added: “How fake is Dean ?!?! Absolutely pathetic!! Needs to improve his acting skills. How quick he went from near hysteria to being completely calm!!!”
Someone else said: “Dean keeps fake crying I can’t take him seriously.”
One added: “Dean fake crying without a tear is so funny.”
A fifth fumed: “Can’t wait to vote #Dean out. He’s useless!”
The star was then visibly shaken as he squeezed his head into an insect-filled box to retrieve stars for the camp with his mouth.
Ant and Dec asked him a series of Egypt-related questions and for every one he answered correctly, a star was lowered down.
He told the presenters: “You’re so extra this series, so extra!’ before adding: “I went to Egypt years ago, but I wasn’t paying attention.”
Dean had to release the stars using only his mouth, however, he quickly began to panic.
Within moments, he was shouting: “oh no, oh no”.
He then screamed the famous words: “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!”
His decision to quit meant the camp won only two stars, leaving them with fewer rations for the night.
Back in camp, he tearfully apologised to his fellow contestants.
He said: “I feel like I’ve let you all down.”
Trying to reassure him, Jane Moore said: “I totally understood why you panicked,” and Tulisa said: “God loves a trier, mate.”
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.”