DEAN McCullough celebrated his best result in the Bushtucker Trials amid backlash from I’m A Celebrity fans.
It was the sixth time the audience voted for the Radio One presenter – despite accusations he was faking his fears.
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Radio One presenter Danni Diston Credit: Instagram/@dannidiston
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Dean climbs to the top of the beanstalk Credit: ITV
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It was a height based challenge Credit: ITV
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Dean celebrated a record number of stars Credit: ITV
Host Ant McPartlin lamented on Unpacked: “Who’s still voting for Dean? I don’t get it,” as frustrated campmates expressed how desperate the public were to stop voting for him to judge the trials.
“I don’t have any more fears to face,” Dean insisted as he delved into Jack and the Scream Stalk during Monday night’s episode.
He achieved his personal best score of 10 out of 12 stars.
Now his friend from BBC Radio One Danni Diston has defended Dean against accusations that he was previously acting in front of the cameras with his terrified screams.
Explaining why Dean is doing better than when he called out I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here twice, Danni exclusively told The Sun: “He’s probably dealing with the fact that he’s hungry himself.
“Maybe it gives him more adrenaline to do it.
“I think it’s difficult when you do one rehearsal, and when you do two, you get used to it, then three, four and so on.
“I think it helps when he has someone to really cheer him on.
“He was so good when he was with Coleen and when he was with Danny.
“I think having an extra person with him definitely boosted his confidence.
“He’s doing better. He’s definitely doing better. He and Ant even shook hands.
“As Dean likes to say, they’re best friends. He loves it.”
The height challenge included a large beanstalk and a 12-star castle that could be conquered in 12 minutes.
He began by climbing the beanstalk, collecting stars along the way.
I am a celebrity in 2024
I’m a Celebrity returns for its 24th series, featuring a group of famous faces living in the Australian jungle. The Sun’s Jake Penkethman took a look at the stars on this year’s show..
Coleen Rooney – probably the most famous name in the camp, the leading WAG, famous for her marriage to Wayne Rooney, has made a big return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four has bagged a deal worth more than £1.5million to take part in the show this year, making her the highest-paid contestant ever.
Tulisa – pop star and former X Factor judge has made a triumphant return to TV by signing up for this year’s I’m A Celeb after years of avoiding TV shows. Famous for being a member of trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV’s The X Factor in a multi-million dollar deal.
Alan Halsall – The actor, known for his long-running role as Tyrone Dobbs in ITV’s Coronation Street, was originally signed to host Down Under last year, but surgery knocked out his planned appearance. Now he has become the latest Corrie star to win over both viewers and his fellow celebrities.
Melvin Odoom – Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after making a name for himself with leading roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. Melvin has already rocked the Strictly dancefloor and hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015, but now he faces his biggest challenge yet – the Australian jungle.
GK Barry – Britain’s biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has turned her TikTok fame into a lucrative career. In addition to her popular social media channels, she hosts a weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and appears regularly on ITV’s talk show, Loose Women. It even advertises popular brands such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers.
Dean McCullough – A rising star among this year’s celebrity crowd, Dean first came to attention with his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was selected to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has been prominent ever since. He has enjoyed a move to ITV over the past year thanks to a guest appearance on Big Brother spin-off show Late & Live.
Oti Mabuse – professional dancer has signed up for her latest TV show after working her way through the biggest programs on the box. She originally shot to 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 added to the program at the 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 is now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice, alongside bandmate Tom Fletcher.
Jane Moore – Star of The Loose Women and columnist for The Sun is bravely fighting the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge – she recently separated from her husband. It will be Jane’s first foray into reality TV with the TV darling who has always said no to reality shows in the past.
Barry McGuigan – Former professional boxer Barry is the latest fighting champion to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a difficult few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danica to bowel cancer. He told The Late Late Show in 2021: “She was such an integral part of the family that it hurts every day.”
Maura Higgins – The Irish TV beauty first shot to fame on Love Island where she had a brief fling with dancer Curtis Pritchard. Since then she has competed in Dancing on Ice, as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty pageant, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been building her career in the US by being a social media correspondent and host of Love Island USA’s Aftersun show. She even guest starred in an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, last year instead of Maya Jama.
Reverend Richard Coles – Former BBC radio presenter Reverend Richard Coles is late for I’m A Celebrity and is ready to spill the beans about his former employer. The former Communards and Strictly star said the BBC didn’t know its a**e from its elbow last year. An insider said: “Rev Coles will have a variety of stories to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, to his appearances on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth.”
When he reached the top of the beanstalk and the highest point in the Trial, he had to collect and assemble the golden egg, before moving to the castle to collect the rest of the stars.
Dean groaned, “I’m exhausted guys. I hate heights. I’m so tired.”
While climbing up the beanstalk, Dean had to reach into various hellholes containing green ants, cockroaches, giant mealworms and spiders to collect each star.
He then had to assemble the golden egg that made up star number 5.
Finally, he had to conquer the castle, where the remaining seven stars were available, and Dean had to climb the castle wall to get to each of the hellholes.
But as Dean grew higher against the castle wall and he started to topple over, he grew tired and lost the strength to hold on, meaning he let go of the handhold – he fell dramatically and lost his last two stars.
However, it was still his highest number of stars to date – without gathering the support of another comrade.
Ant and Dec applauded Dean and the delighted radio presenter returned to camp to give them the good news.
Asked if Dean now deserves a break from further Bushtucker Trials, Danni said: “I think he deserves a break, but he’s also fun to watch.
“He’s funny, he screams, and we love it so I’m kind of both. He probably wouldn’t want me to say that, he’d probably say ‘stop voting’, but it’s great television.”
From January, Danni moves to a new slot on BBC Radio One with her co-host Sam MacGregor.
Sam and Danni, who previously held the Weekend Breakfast slot, will now host the afternoon show, which airs Friday to Sunday, 1pm to 4pm.
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Danni with her co-host Sam MacGregor Credit: BBC
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education