Nigel Farage believes his I’m A Celebrity stint was ‘worth the gamble’

Nigel Farage has said he was warned against signing up for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! over fears it would be a ‘disaster’.

The former UKIP leader, 59, was met with significant public backlash when news of his casting on the long-running reality series was announced.

But after packing his bags and heading Down Under, he ended up being one of the last celebrities standing, being named in third place this weekend.

Now Nigel has spoken about initial concerns about him appearing on the series, and how he pushed back.

After returning home to the UK from Australia, Nigel appeared on GB News on Wednesday evening to discuss his stint in the jungle, for which he was reportedly paid £1.5 million.

Speaking on the channel, Nigel shared some of the worries those around him had.

Nigel Farage believes going on I’m A Celebrity was ‘worth the gamble’ (Picture: GB News)

‘A lot of people said to me, don’t do it, it’ll be a disaster. It’ll demean you.

‘People will never look at you seriously again.

‘I said to them all “Don’t be such stuffed shirts”. I think it is worth the gamble and people will see who I really am, as opposed to who they think, perhaps I am.’

Following the finale of the reality series, which was won by Made in Chelsea’s Sam Thompson, it was revealed that Nigel picked up 25.78 per cent of the vote, trailing behind Sam on 43.35 per cent and retired boxer Tony Bellew with 30.87 per cent.

He ended up making it to the finale and being named in third place (Picture: James Gourley/ ITV/ Shutterstock)

Despite clearly picking up some public support, behind the scenes things were tense between Nigel and I’m A Celebrity bosses after he decided to shower naked.

At several points in the season, he was caught stripping down in the bush shower, much to the shock of his fellow campmates and those watching on at home.

However, it turns out producers were anything but impressed, but when they told him off, he responded by telling them to ‘go to hell’.

‘To be told to check yourself and to be told you must keep clean – and then to be told you can’t take your pants off in the shower struck me as contradictory,’ he said.

He said some people told him appearing on the show would be a ‘disaster’ (Picture: ITV/Shutterstock)

‘I had a huge row. I was told in the interest of taste and in respect for the cameramen and women that I shouldn’t be doing this. I said, “Go to hell!”’

He continued to The Sun: ‘Sam did not shower naked and Sam did not check himself. Sam woke up one morning screaming – the leech was huge. It was on his a*** and the sleeping bag looked like a murder scene.

‘So, there were very good reasons [to be naked].’

He went on to say that after that incident, the other campmates ‘did the same’ and ‘four other blokes stripped naked’.

I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! is streaming on ITVX.

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‘A lot of people said to me it would be a disaster.’