Josie Gibson hits out at I'm A Celeb's David Haye for leaning into the 'dark side of fame' and claims he 'tried to play with Adam's mind' on ITV show

Josie Gibson waded in on the I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! bullying row as she hit out at David Haye for leaning into the 'dark side of fame'. 

The TV presenter, 41, who is best known for her role on This Morning, was quizzed by Good Morning Britain hosts Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway about her thoughts on the most recent series of the ITV competition show. 

Reacting to the fall out, Josie told viewers on GMB that she felt David had been 'trying to play with Adam's mind' during their time together on I'm A Celeb. 

Josie, who took part in I'm A Celeb in 2023, told Richard and Kate: 'I tell you what, I know the Thomas brothers and they are the sort of guys you'd want your daughters to bring home, they are lovely. 

'If you've watched the podcast that they made, what David Haye did to him was actually the dark side of fame and I think he saw [Adam] as a winner and tried to play with his mind, it's not fair and it's not right.' 

Last week, viewers of I'm A Celeb watched on as the live finale descended into chaos with a string of arguments shown on screen, with Sinitta walking off and Scarlett Moffat breaking down in tears. 

During the show, hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly failed to keep a lid on proceedings as Jimmy Bullard accused Adam Thomas of being 'abusive, aggressive and intimidating' during an expletive row in the pre-recorded show last year.

Former footballer Jimmy, 47, accused the show of 'editing out clips' during the furious showdown - as he clashed once again with Adam, 37, before the former Waterloo Road star was crowned King of the Jungle.  

Ant and Dec gave Jimmy an opportunity to share his side of the story after Adam allegedly called him the 'c-word' in their explosive clash during the pre-recorded trial.

And as tempers began to fray, former boxer David weighed in on the discussion between Jimmy and Adam, the live confrontation finished with Ant telling Jimmy: 'Right, let's leave it there. We'll agree to disagree,' after a series of back and forths.

It followed weeks of 'bullying' accusations thrown back and forth after David, 45, was seen branding Adam 'useless' after the actor ruled himself out of taking part in a trial due to a decline in his health.

And Adam was later seen having a furious war of words with Jimmy following his unexpected show exit - with the former footballer fuming that Adam called him the 'c-word' in their explosive clash during the pre-recorded trial. 

It comes after it was revealed that I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! was hit with over 1,000 complaints from viewers who tuned in to watch the tense live final.

The latest broadcasting regulator's report noted that 1,187 people had sent in a complaint about the programme, which was broadcast live from London. 

It's not the first time this series that fans have taken to Ofcom to complain, as 171 viewers previously submit their grievances in an earlier episode of the series, that saw former boxer David, 45, at odds with Adam. 

David was seen branding Adam 'useless' after the actor ruled himself out of taking part in a trial due to a decline in his health - scenes that Ant and Dec later revealed they found 'uncomfortable to watch'. 

It comes after show winner Adam said that he felt 'exploited' by ITV during the show's explosive final, which took place at London's Hammersmith Apollo. 

The Waterloo Road actor's time at the Kruger National Park camp was overshadowed by a volatile row with former footballer Jimmy and accusations of bullying levied at ex-boxer David. 

And his time on the finale also ended in chaos as Jimmy and David reignited their feud with Adam in front of the live studio audience.  

Reflecting on his experience with brothers Ryan and Scott during the latest instalment of their Thomas Bros podcast on Wednesday, the actor suggested his fallout with the two campmates was taken full advantage of as Friday's show progressed. 

He said: 'I think for David [Haye] and some of these campmates who have come out, I feel like it's just a show to them, do you know what I mean? 

'It's entertainment. It's fun. And for me it's not about entertainment, I'm not playing a character, I'm not here for anyone else's agenda but my own, to have a f***ing laugh and enjoy this experience. 

'And I feel that's the most disturbing thing for me, looking at David, and even after the show and everything he did, he sent me a voice note saying "Ah mate, what a great show that was, so happy you won, congratulations." 

'I just sent him a message back and said look, I think this is where I draw the line, I hope you find happiness bro, but I'm done now.

'It's hard, the whole experience. That live show, I just felt like I'd just been exploited, and I think you can see it, at the end of it. I felt like I was in the midst of it all, and it wasn't even about me.' 

Adam, who has previously been open about his mental health struggles, said that David's actions in camp were 'bullying' and claimed he had been left in an emotionally vulnerable state after David 'got inside his head'.  

'What happened to me in camp was bullying, that is the matter of fact about it – it was bullying,' he said. 

'And I don't think it's fair, for people who were going through what I was going through in the real world, to pass it off as banter, because it's not. 

'And the reason why I didn't speak up for myself when I should have done is because when I was in camp, everyone was passing it off as banter, as "Oh, he's just doing it because he loves you." So I laughed it off. I laughed it off and pretended that it was alright.' 

He added: 'I can see it from the other campmates' lens why it may seem like it was banter and not bullying, I understand it. But I'm telling you my truth, and how I felt in there, and it was bullying.

'I can also tell you that I spoke to David when I got out, and I asked him why. Why did you keep doing this to me? Why did you do it?  And he told me, "I've never met a nicer guy, I just wanted to break you." 

'If that isn't classed as bullying, then I don't know what is.' 

The actor was targeted by David after a medical condition ruled him out of certain Bushtucker Trials, prompting the ex-boxer to label him a 'professional victim.' 

'Everyone says you're playing the victim, that is the last thing that I ever want to do is play the victim, that is the last thing,' he said. 

'I just wanted it all to go away and I didn't talk to anyone.' 

According to Adam, the boxer pretended ITV had informed him of his mental health issues after he fainted in camp – an incident that was not aired by the broadcaster. 

'He got pulled to the Bush Telegraph, and then he came out and he sat me down and said, "I've been worried about your mental health. They've told me to stop now. Have you been crying about me in there?" he recalled. 

'So that was when I thought they know, the know what's been going on, and that upset me more, because it's the fact that I've never once talked about [David] or mentioned what [David's] done to me.' 

Thomas claims he realised he'd been duped by the boxer after storming into the Bush Telegraph for a showdown with ITV producers, convinced they had told Haye of his personal issues.   

'So I've gone in there breaking down and they said, "Adam, we've never once said anything to David about your mental health or any of that."

'I asked David when I got out and he said "Yeah I just made it all up." I was like, wow, you really manipulated the s*** out of me.'

He added: 'He got in my head like you wouldn't believe, and that's the thing, not everyone see that. Nobody sees the little comments he makes. 

'He mind-f***** me. It's a gift, what he has. This energy I have, this light, for him to take that away from me, that's a gift.'