Tony Bellew reveals ‘real reason’ he signed up for I’m a Celeb after coming second
TONY Bellew has revealed the “real reason” he signed up for I’m a Celebrity after coming second to Sam Thompson.
Last night I’m a Celebrity viewers watched Sam, 31, become King of the Jungle – with Tony, 41, coming in as runner-up.
The former professional boxer retired in 2018 and he told how a close pal convinced him to enter the jungle to show the public what he’s really like.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain today Tony said: “I’ve got a close friend called Mike. Mike, thank you very much. He talked me round and said ‘go in there because no one really knows you’.
“And I didn’t care if people knew me, I wasn’t that bothered, and I wasn’t sure if people were ever really gonna like me because the persona of me is just I’m a maniac who punches people in the face.
“But the truth is I’m a normal person, I’m the exact same as every person watching now, the only difference is I used to punch people in the face for a living.
“Well, that’s gone now. It’s been five years since I’ve done that and you’ve just seen me. So I guess people like me for me.”
Tony also spoke about the moment his wife Rachael surprised him in the jungle – revealing he almost left with her before making it to the final.
But Rachael told Tony their sons Corey, 18, Cobey, 15, Carter, 11, and Carson, three, wanted him to “go all the way” so he had no choice but to stay.
His bromance with champ Sam was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the series and when asked about rumours of them filming their own show Tony said he’ll do “whatever Sam wants to do”.
He added: “I want him to chill out. He’s coming into whole new world now and I want him to keep the energy he’s got. I’ll always be there for him, he’s got a friend for life.”