Not that it would be hard to do when you’ve just been crowned the winner of a big reality TV show, but I made Concetta Caristo cry today.
Normally that wouldn’t make me feel proud, but in the context of my chat with the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! winner, it was everything.
The Aussie comedian and Triple J radio personality didn’t only walk away as 2026 Jungle Queen, she took with her a whopping $100K to be given directly to her charity, Full Stop Australia – an organisation that helped her, her mother and her sister escape a terrifying domestic violence situation growing up.
Sadly, it’s a story that has shaped the 31-year-old Aussie and by walking away with the win, she hopes other people struggling through life in the same way can find inspiration in her journey.
“I think people who’ve gone through abuse or violence we can maybe paint a picture that you see someone happy and you cannot let it define [you]. There’s a way out. There’s a way to making a life that’s free and positive. To be able to show that in some small way, that is an honour,” she told news.com.au.
“It means a lot. I think it just feels very affirming. As someone who has had a very strong inner critic that would cut me down a lot and get in my own way, going through that experience of being out there and being away from everything that I knew and all the distractions and things… I really was forced to just sit with that voice and be like: ‘Why am I being so mean to myself? When am I going to give myself permission to believe in myself, be kind to myself, cheer myself on?’
“I just think this is the most beautiful affirming hug from so many people.”
Concetta is well aware that the most important person in need of a hug in this story is herself. It’s probably the reason why tears came flooding through when I ask her about an old picture plastered on her Instagram. It’s her dressed in a school uniform at around the age of five or six. The most innocent of pictures.
“What would you say to that little girl?” I ask her.
“Oh,” she hesitates, fighting back tears.
“I would say to her I’m really proud of you and you’re special. You’re special for who you are, being yourself, and you’re gonna be able to connect with a lot of people and make a lot of people feel really happy and to love and accept themselves,” she manages.
“Even though things are really hard, it’s all in the journey of taking what happened to you that you didn’t have a choice in, and making the choice to try and help make other people’s lives better.”
Sunday night’s finale was packed with emotion as Concetta’s fellow finalists, former NRL player (and rumoured love interest… confirmation on that a bit later so stay with me!) Luke Bateman and Aussie actor Gary Sweet were reunited with their families.
Concetta’s embrace with her mother told their heartbreaking story without them having to say a word.
“I think the tears was for how full circle that moment was,” she admitted.
“It was pure shock. I could not picture in my mind my mum being there in South Africa, it just felt too big, too lofty a dream.
“I think about what we came from, how it was, something that was a secret, something I literally didn’t share with anyone in my life outside of my mum and my sister going through that pain and that violence and then thinking about the journey and finally being free.”
Like most contestants who sign up, Concetta overcame plenty of hurdles that surprised her during the show – from being buried alive on day one to eating a pig’s penis.
“Someone’s gonna eat some sort of animal penis and I felt pretty honoured,” she chuckles.
With the mood lightened a little, I swoop in with the question everyone in Australia is dying to know – and I give her permission to hang up on me for having the cheek to ask.
“Oh my God, I know where you’re going with this. You’re going to ask me about my friendship with Gary aren’t you?” she jokes, clearly knowing that it’s her special bond with Luke Bateman and that hug that I want to know about.
“I’m so sorry to disappoint, but we’re friends. I think we’re very lovely friends. He was such an incredible friend to me in the jungle and it’s the most surprising friendship,” she clarifies.
“I would say we’ve just continued [that] as this show has ended. We’re so happy for each other – he’s so happy for me and I’m happy for him. So, for now, there’s nothing more to report. I can feel [the disappointment], but I’ll have to cop it,” she laughs.
This season saw some big names camp out in the jungle including international stars Barry Williams of The Brady Bunch fame and former supermodel Rachel Hunter, who was the first celebrity to be eliminated from the show.
A lot more happened, including tense moments between singer Deni Hines and former MAFS star Cyrelle Paule, but it was ultimately Concetta’s happy dances that won the hearts of those watching.
Concetta’s winning title means she has earned more than just stars for her charity, but a $100K cash injection that will help plenty of families like her own. And that is the biggest win of all.
Full Stop Australia is one of the country’s leading sexual, domestic and family violence response and recovery services. You can top up Concetta’s donation here.
Originally published as The heartbreaking question that made I’m A Celeb winner Concetta Caristo cry
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