I’m A Celeb’s biggest rule breaks of all time as Dean McCullough brings teabags into camp
I’M A Celeb is known for its strict rules and stripping its rich and famous cast of their worldly belongings.
But brazen stars have broken the rules over the years.
The latest, Northern Irish presenter Dean McCullough, stirred up camp controversy after smuggling teabags into the jungle.
He isn’t the first celeb to take liberties with the show’s rules.
Here we take a look at legendary campmates that almost got away with it.
Gillian McKeith’s contraband hidden in a condom
The TV nutritionist caused a stir when it was revealed she had smuggled in spices, salt, and even herbal remedies tucked into her underwear in 2010.
The discovery led to a serious camp discussion and a scolding from producers.
Gillian entered the camp for a second time in 2023 spin-off and was up to her old tricks.
The You Are What You Eat star pulled out a pair of knickers and proudly told her campmates: “Garlic bulb.
“In here I have thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil and tarragon. Miso soup… I’ve got dill weed… about 20 almonds. Seaweed strips, they’re amazing!
“This is tomato and basil soup mix, this is gluten free soy sauce.
“Sea salt. It’s inside a condom. Because it was the only way to get it inside…”
Amir Khan’s strawberry heist
Amir Khan and Iain Lee became infamous for stealing strawberries meant for the whole camp in 2017.
The duo ate the treat in secret, leaving their teammates none the wiser—until they confessed, causing uproar.
Katie Price’s phone fiasco
In 2004, there were whispers that the reality star smuggled a mobile phone into camp.
It was swiftly confiscated by producers and viewers never knew about it.
The rule break has rarely been mentioned since, and is now a part of I’m A Celeb jungle lore.
She later aattempted to “seduce” Dec by “cornering him” at the I’m A Celeb wrap party, according to Ant McPartlin.
Tony Bellew’s time keeper
EastEnders actress Danielle Harold last year revealed her co-star would tell campmates the time – despite no access to a clock.
She revealed on Loose Women after the show: “Tony actually nicked a stopwatch from the games. So I was going, ‘what time do you reckon it is’ and he’s like ‘quarter past seven’.
“I was like, ‘how do you know that?’ I didn’t know about the stopwatch, the only person in camp who didn’t!'”
Gino D’ACampo’s stuffed pillow
Gino D’Acampo confessed he smuggled food inside a pillow in 2009.
The 2009 King of the Jungle revealed Gillian wasn’t the first contestant to breach food rules, claiming he managed to sneak dozens of sachets past the show’s security.
“I asked for a memory foam pillow and with a razor I cut the pillow in half,” he told This Morning.
“I asked the hotel I was in before going into the jungle if I could have all those little sachets you get of coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, sweetener – anything you could get in a sachet – and I put it all in the pillow!
“And when anyone touched the pillow… because it’s a memory one you can’t feel anything inside, so I can tell you that by far Gillian is nowhere near all the stuff that I took in there!”
Speaking about how he managed to not get caught, he added: “I had Katie Price in the jungle with me, so I was waiting for every time that she got her knockers out. I would get the salt out… because I thought the camera is going to go straight on the knockers!”
I'm A Celebrity 2024
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Coleen Rooney – Arguably the most famous name in the camp, the leading WAG, known for her marriage to Wayne Rooney, has made a grand return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four had bagged an eye-watering deal worth over £1.5million to be on the show this year making her the highest-paid contestant ever.
Tulisa – The popstar and former X Factor judge has made her triumphant TV comeback by signing up to this year’s I’m A Celeb after shunning TV shows for many years. Known for being a member of the trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV show The X Factor in a multi-million pound deal.
Alan Halsall – The actor, known for playing the long-running role of Tyrone Dobbs on ITV soap opera Coronation Street, was originally signed up to head Down Under last year but an operation threw his scheduled appearance off-course. Now he has become the latest Corrie star to win over both the viewers and his fellow celebrities.
Melvin Odoom – The Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after rising to fame with presenting roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. Melvin has already been for a spin on the Strictly dancefloor and co-hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015 but now he is facing up to his biggest challenge yet – the Aussie jungle.
GK Barry – The UK’s biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has transformed her TikTok stardom into a lucrative career. Aside from her popular social media channels, she hosts the weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and regularly appears on ITV talk show, Loose Women. She has even gone on to endorse popular brands such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers.
Dean McCullough – A rising star amongst this year’s bunch of celebs, Dean first achieved notability through his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was chosen to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has featured prominently ever since. He has enjoyed a crossover to ITV over the past year thanks to his guest slots on Big Brother spin-off show, Late & Live.
Oti Mabuse – The pro dancer has signed up to her latest TV show after making her way through the biggest programmes on the box. She originally found 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 drafted into the programme 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’s now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice, along with bandmate Tom Fletcher.
Jane Moore – The Loose Women star and The Sun columnist is braving the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge – having recently split from her husband. It will be Jane’s first foray into reality TV with the telly favourite having always said no to reality shows in the past.
Barry McGuigan – Former pro boxer Barry is the latest fighting champ to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a tough few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danika to bowel cancer. He told The Late Late Show in 2021: “She was such an intrinsic part of the family that every day we ache.”
Maura Higgins – The Irish TV beauty first found fame on Love Island where she found a brief connection with dancer Curtis Pritchard. Since then, she has competed on Dancing On Ice as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty contest, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been working on building up her career in the US by being the social media correspondent and host of Aftersun to accompany Love Island USA. She even guest hosted an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, in place of Maya Jama last year.
Rev. Richard Coles – Former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles is a late arrival on I’m A Celebrity, and he’s ready to spill the beans on his former employer. The former Communards and Strictly star, said the BBC did not know its a**e from its elbow last year. An insider said: “Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth.”