I'm A Celeb's Sam Thompson forced to return gifts hours after winning the show
Topics: Im A Celebrity, ITV, TV And Film, Celebrity, Money
Rhianna Benson
Featured Image Credit: ITV
Topics: Im A Celebrity, ITV, TV And Film, Celebrity, Money
Sam Thompson has been the reigning king of the I'm A Celebrity jungle for nine days now, and apparently, he's already been stripped of his illustrious winnings.
You can watch him complain about it below:
Yes, it turns out this year's I'm a Celeb winner just got bragging rights, as he also didn't receive a cash prize for his victory.
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Made In Chelsea star Sam, 31, reached the grand finale last Sunday (10 December) alongside professional boxer Tony Bellew, who landed in the runner up spot.
Controversial ex-politician Nigel Farage had left the final first in third place.
And after the large majority of eliminated I'm A Celeb campmates predicted that Sam would be crowned this year's 'King of the Jungle', the public clearly got behind him.
ITV hosts Ant and Dec broke the news that he'd won in a landslide victory, and a number of jungle keepsakes - including his crown of vines and wooden sceptre - were handed to him by former campmate and This Morning star Josie Gibson.
During an on-screen catch-up with daytime TV host Josie upon his return to the UK, however, Sam revealed the sentimental gifts were taken off him within hours of taking the top spot.
"I didn't get to keep anything!" he told viewers. "They wouldn't let me keep anything!"
The Chelsea star went on the reveal that the colossal sceptre was taken off him as he tried to work out how to bring it through airport security in Australia.
He said: "I don't have anything to show for it."
Though Thompson didn't win a prize for coming first, he did receive a sizeable paycheque for taking part, rumoured to be between £30,000 and £60,000.
Speaking to press following his victory, however, he insisted his reason for appearing Down Under wasn't motivated by a large payout.
"It wasn't monetary, or a career move, I genuinely wanted to go and eat camel's penis," he told The Times.
"I wanted to meet Ant [McPartlin] and Dec [Donnelly], they're my heroes, the most iconic people of my life."
Sam went on to claim he didn't know how much co-star Nigel Farage would be pocketing following his jungle stint - despite it being understood that he was being paid more than any other 2023 campmate.
And he struggled to hide his shock after being told that the former Brexit frontman would be landing a mammoth £1.5m pay cheque.
"Was he? Bloody hell!" Sam exclaimed during an exit interview with the publication. "I didn't have a clue. You could buy five houses for that!"
He went on to claim he 'would have done it for anything'.
"I would have been a very, very easy negotiation," he teased. "I would have paid them to be on it."