TV presenter Nick Knowles has claimed disgruntled I’m A Celebrity bosses tried to ‘wind up’ the famous campmates after they banded together to avoid rowing during the most recent series of the ITV reality show.
Nick, 56, revealed the star contestants formed a secret pact not to fall out in the early stages of their stay in the jungle down under – leaving producers “furious” and determined to make the experience “harder and harder” for the participants.
Having made the decision to function as a team, Nick also explained the group had a ‘safe word’ – “octopus” – to ensure campmates would know to cool off if anyone got close to losing their rag.
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At first, the acknowledgement between the celebs that TV bosses would ‘win’ if they fell out between themselves – and the agreement to resist that – seemed to work a treat.
Nick is reported to have said during an appearance at the Ideal Home Show in London: “There was one point when Noel [Edmonds] came in and he said to John [Barrowman] about scratching his nuts. John stood up about to get angry and I walked past him and said ‘octopus’ and he sat straight back down again. The producers couldn’t work it out at all.”
According to the Mirror’s website, Nick also said programme bosses were not happy with him for giving the swerve to the treats won from the Dingo Dollar challenges.
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However, it is claimed Nick avoiding eating prizes such as chocolate because he felt it would become difficult to force down the bland camp rations the next day after enjoying the taste of more flavoursome fare.
Noting some campmates were happy to enjoy any food offered to them, Nick is reported to have said he and pop rocker James McVey were among those to give the tasty rewards a miss – much to the production team’s chagrin.
He is also said to have claimed show bosses ‘punished’ the campmates for their resistance.
Nick is quoted as saying: “They did things like reducing the amount of water we had. Reducing the amount of food we had when we won the stars. It was inedible. They left the canopy open so all our beds got wet and we had to sleep on wet bedding. Anything to try and wind us up.
“And the more we stuck together the more it really got on their nerves. They hated me by the end of it!”
ED! has approached a representative for ITV and Nick for comment.
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