Ant and Dec took a lighthearted jab at the explosive 'I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!' drama as they returned to television for the Britain's Got Talent semi-final, urging the judges to behave.
Return to BGT
The Geordie duo, both 50, struggled to contain the situation during Friday's final when former footballer Jimmy Bullard accused eventual winner Adam Thomas of being 'abusive, aggressive and intimidating' during a heated exchange in the pre-recorded show last year. For the first BGT semi-final on Saturday, the pair returned to the screen and laughed off the chaotic final.
'I love live telly me,' Ant laughed, as Dec replied: 'There's nothing better, is there?' Speaking to the judges, Ant joked: 'We had quite enough drama on the telly last night, so can you please you four be on your best behaviour?' Referencing Sinitta and Gemma Collins storming out of the explosive final, Dec added: 'If you misbehave, you'll be out quicker than Sinitta.'
Judges React
During the live finale, hosts Ant and Dec struggled to control the situation as Gemma Collins and Sinitta stormed off stage in fury. Later, Amanda joked: 'After watching your extraordinary performance last night, I took notes. I have learnt from the best!'
Jimmy admitted he 'threw winner Adam under the bus' when he quit a trial that sparked the explosive clash, leaving viewers at home in shock. The former footballer explained he had to leave for personal reasons and that if he didn't say 'I'm A Celebrity' in the challenge, he would not have received his full pay. 'Listen, Adam and all of you can be upset with me, and I absolutely threw him under the bus, I get it and I'll wear that,' Jimmy said. 'But what I don't stand on is someone being abusive, aggressive and intimidating. I don't stand on that.'
Hosts Weigh In
Welcoming Ant and Dec to share their opinion, Jimmy said: 'You [pointing to the hosts] were there, and you didn't show any of that [footage]. You didn't show any of the C-bombs, it's a liberty,' Jimmy fumed. Ant argued: 'The reason we didn't air the C-bomb is because that is unbroadcastable. I was there and I didn't think it was intimidating. I was there, Jim.'
David, who has been accused of 'bullying' Adam during the show, disagreed with Ant and backed the former footballer, demanding answers as to why Adam was hurling obscenities at Jimmy. Adam hit back at David, telling him to 'let the finalists speak,' which received cheers from the crowd. During his opportunity to speak, Adam said: 'I take full responsibility for my actions, and yes, emotions were definitely running high in that moment. I have nothing but love for Jimmy in that moment. I have apologised to Jimmy on numerous occasions, and I do take everything that he is saying into account. The only thing I can do is apologise. That is not how I want to show myself off, and I have never shown myself off like that before or after that. I do apologise, Jimmy.'
'Funny way of showing it,' David interjected before Ant and Dec furiously told him to stop interrupting. David continued: 'I like to say how I see it, I like to keep it real, and what I have seen is a lot of editing to make this poor guy [pointing to Adam] the victim so the people will support him. We all had banter back and forth, a lot of it was cut out from their side. But I think it is time for the truth.'
Walkouts and Reactions
Storming off stage, Sinitta yelled at the audience: 'Guys, you weren't there, I was there, and it was aggressive and abusive, we were shaking.' Gemma, a close friend of Adam, then followed as she also left the stage. Jimmy shouted in the background: 'You can't be aggressive, abusive and intimidating. It doesn't matter if Adam said sorry. I will not take you [Ant] saying it wasn't aggressive, abusive and intimidating. You can't say that. Show it, let everyone watch it, let's play it now!'
Ant and Dec wrapped up: 'Right, let's leave it there. We'll agree to disagree, Jim.' After airing Adam's final eating trial in Friday's show, which fans branded 'horrendous,' Gemma Collins urged: 'He will forever be my hero, Adam. He so deserves to win!' Looking visibly unhappy with the praise Adam was receiving, David interrupted hosts Ant and Dec to ask: 'Do you think he deserves to win this after calling Jimmy the C-word a couple of times?' 'Yeah, after that challenge I do think I deserve to win,' Adam proudly replied. 'Don't you think you should ask Jimmy whether he thinks he deserves to win?' David added. 'Because there was a lot of that stuff cut out of it.' As Ant and Dec tried to control the situation, Dec urged: 'We will come to this, we are going to ask Jimmy later, and we will speak to you as well.' 'There was a lot of stuff that was said that was unbroadcastable,' Ant confirmed.
