Myleene Klass was crowned the first I’m A Celebrity Legend on Friday’s final episode of I’m A Celebrity… South Africa.
The musician and broadcaster, 45, beat Diversity dancer Jordan Banjo, 30, after the pair became the remaining two stars to spend the final night at camp.
Former Hear’Say singer Myleene and KISS Breakfast host Jordan made it to the final four of the series along with Fatima Whitbread, 62, and Phil Tufnell, 57, on Thursday’s episode, with Phil being voted off by the returning full cast of the show and Fatima leave after losing the Critter Countdown trial on Friday.
With their former camp mates watching, Myleene and Jordan went head to head in a gruesome final test when they predicted how many different nasty things they could eat before chewing to see if they were right.
After triumphing, Myleene was named the I’m A Celebrity Legend after the king or queen of the jungle was dumped for this spin-off series, with the star saying, “
Champion: Myleene Klass was crowned the first I’m A Celebrity Legend on Friday’s final episode of I’m A Celebrity… South Africa
Former pop star Myleene came out on top after entering camp late in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, with Jordan, former Olympic javelin thrower Fatima, former England cricketer Phil, television presenter Carol Vorderman, 62, former Royal Household butler Paul Burrell, 64, actress Helen Flanagan, 32, and ex-soap actor Dean Gaffney, 45, among the participants.
Also starring in this series was former EastEnders cast member Joe Swash, 41, supermodel Janice Dickinson, 68, Coronation Street star Andy Whyment, 42, former Made In Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo, 28, former professional boxer Amir Khan, 36, TV nutritionist Gillian McKeith, 63, and Happy Mondays singer Shaun Ryder, 60.
Show bosses didn’t make it easy for final camp mates Myleene and Jordan as they competed in the ultimate eating trial, with Ant remarking, “If you do this, you deserve to be crowned the first-ever Legend of I’m A Celeb!”
Watched by their former camp mates, the two stars were shown the jungle nasty things they would eat, with the stars suggesting the number of each item they thought they could eat in five minutes.
The celebrity who chose the highest number then tried to eat the amount they chose in the allotted time.
If they succeeded, they earned a point. However, if they couldn’t bear it and failed, their opponent got a point.
During the battle, the final two campmates took nine dishes – including fermented eggs and mouse tails – to determine who walked away as champion.
Earlier in the episode, Myleene, Jordan and Fatima faced a challenge to decide who would make the top two.
The trio faced an ordeal where they could count to six minutes while staying under a slew of critters.
They were all in a device with their feet in boxes, their hands in infernal holes and their heads in helmets.
Their feet were surrounded by biting green ants, while cockroaches and crickets surrounded their hands, coming face to face with snakes of various sizes in their helmets.
The three celebrities were instructed to press the buzzer when six minutes had passed.
Myleene and Jordan advanced to the final as they came closest at six minutes, while Fatima was sent home.
It came after a shocking twist on Thursday’s episode when all of the previously eliminated campmates returned to decide the fate of the final four.
The returning stars had to choose the three people they wanted to send to the finals while picking one to send home, with Phil being nominated.
He said on departure, “I couldn’t think of a better three to get through it… I absolutely love my time at the camp… It’s just the best vacation I’ve ever had.”
Upon learning she had made it to the final three, Myleene was seen in tears in the Bush Telegraph saying, “My kids will be so happy.”
I’m A Celebrity… South African bosses ditched the show’s male and female Jungle King and Queen gender categories for the spin-off series.
But instead of the winner being a King or Queen of the Jungle at the end of the three-week competition, they were crowned I’m A Celebrity Legend.
A statement from ITV read: ‘Without a public vote, they will go head to head in a battle to become the first ever “I’m A Celebrity Legend”.’
The change was made for the first time in 21 years before the all stars version reached ITV.
The show was pre-recorded in South Africa’s Kruger National Park last September and the first episode aired last month.
