Ant McPartlin slammed by Dean McCullough’s mum over ITV I’m A Celebrity row: ‘Too hard on him!’
Dean McCullough’s mother has arrived in Australia ahead of the I’m A Celebrity eliminations, demanding to confront host Ant McPartlin over his treatment of her son on the show.
Ann McCullough landed in Brisbane wearing a customised Team Dean t-shirt, immediately addressing criticism of the BBC Radio 1 DJ’s performance in the jungle trials.
“I think Ant’s been a wee bit hard on him. I’m gonna have to have a wee word with McPartlin about that, maybe later,” The Sun reported.
The protective mum’s arrival comes after McPartlin had repeatedly expressed frustration about McCullough during the series, particularly regarding his trial attempts.
Ann staunchly defended her son against suggestions his reactions weren’t genuine, following Declan Donnelly’s revelation of a “bit of a debate” backstage about McCullough’s authenticity.
“There is nothing false about him,” she insisted. “We are seeing the real Dean, he is just being himself…he just gets on with it.”
She emphasised that McCullough was following her pre-jungle advice: “Have fun and be yourself.”
Despite the Radio 1 host having quit two trials early, which was frowned upon by the hosts, Ann maintained: “He has been game for anything. He’s just been himself, and we’re all so, so proud.”
She revealed it had been “awful” watching her son face six different trials, though she suggested his repeated selection showed viewer appreciation.
“Every time he has been picked again, it’s been ‘oh my god.’ Do you know what, he’s a team player, he loves it and does his best,” she said.
When asked about viewers consistently choosing McCullough, Ann explained: “I think it’s because everyone wants to see him, he’s good to look at, he is great fun, and he is enjoying every single minute of it.
“People want to see him doing the challenges as he is such a funny bloke. It’s hard to watch but he is getting on with it.”
Ann also addressed her son’s camp relationships, including a recent spat with Alan Halsall over helping Jane Moore.
“He didn’t give him much time to wake up did he? Maybe in a couple of seconds, he would have been grand to go and help Jane,” she commented.
She revealed McCullough had been particularly starstruck by one campmate: “He loves everyone, he is such a team player…but he has been very starstruck with Coleen especially.”
Looking ahead to their reunion, Ann expressed her maternal concerns: “I can’t wait to check him from head to toe for tics, and for everything, to make sure he is ok, and give him one big hug.”
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Her arrival and concerns about how he has been treated comes off the back of viewers claiming the star was “two faced”.
After his altercation with Halsall, McCullough thought it would be funny to wake up Tulisa Contostavlos by singing loudly after she specifically asked him not too.