I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! came to an end last night with the new King of the Jungle being crowned, but a major voting decision has left a sour taste in the mouth of one contestant and her fans.
The much-loved ITV show wrapped its 24th season last night, crowning McFly's Danny Jones as King of the Jungle, making him the second band member to win the honour. While celebrations were had, Maura Higgins, 34, shared her candid thoughts on a decision that left her at a huge disadvantage.
The Irish star's comments came as she joined presenters Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly and her fellow evicted campmates on the ITV spin-off show I'm A Celebrity : Unpacked, where she learnt that Ant had chosen her to come in second to Danny. While it was a flattering comment from the host, he upset the former Love Island star with what came next.
"But they can't vote in Ireland; that's the problem!" Ant boldly told the audience. Maura instantly "booed" and gave the presenter a telling thumbs down, with her sentiments echoed by her campmate and fellow Irishman, Barry McGuigan, who told the hosts: "You've got to change that!".
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ITV)And it isn't just Maura and Barry who have been left upset by the voting eligibility requirements with viewers also calling out the show as it means Irish viewers are unable to support the stars representing their country despite the show having aired in the Republic of Ireland since 2004.
One person wrote on X: "What's the deal with the Irish not being able to vote on I'm A Celebrity! It's 2024 you have Irish contestants let us vote." Another called it a "joke", while one said Barry, 63, and Maura "wouldn't" have departed the show on Thursday night in a double elimination, earning fifth and sixth place if their Irish fans were allowed to vote.
ITV are yet to address fans upset but with the show wrapped and one year until it returns to screens, they have plenty of time to take onboard the constructive criticism and give the people what they want.
Maura's comments come after this season's finalists, Coleen Rooney, Reverend Richard Coles, and Danny found out their fate last night, with Danny taking out the win. After Reverend Richard's elimination, which saw him come third place, Coleen and Danny accumulated more than 10 million votes between them, proving to be a popular final. However, ultimately, Danny came first, and Coleen came second.
The McFly star was emotional as he was announced the winner and said, "It feels amazing; I can't even talk." He went on to thank fans for their support and joked that it felt nice to "be liked" He said, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I gave my all in there. It's a lovely feeling to be liked. Thank you so much; I appreciate this so much."
Meanwhile, Coleen said she was "gutted" that she wasn't crowned Queen of the Jungle but knew her family would be excited for her regardless: "My boys have been proud of their dad for so long, it's my turn now," she said.
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