Jimmy Bullard is reportedly considering legal action against ITV after a dispute over his show fee following his dramatic exit from I’m A Celebrity… South Africa
Jimmy Bullard is reportedly set to take legal action against ITV bosses(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
Former footballer and I’m A Celebrity… South Africa contestant Jimmy Bullard is reportedly taking legal action against ITV following his dramatic exit from the show. The star is said to have contacted a lawyer after being told that receiving his full fee for appearing on the show depends on whether he attends the live final.
The final, which will be broadcast live from London this Friday (April 24), will see viewers vote to crown the winner of the all stars series. Jimmy’s departure from the show aired on Tuesday’s episode (April 21), after a heated Bushtucker Trail alongside Adam Thomas escalated into a tense argument.
During the trial, Jimmy declared “I’m a celebrity, get me out of here,” putting both himself and Adam at risk of elimination. In the end, Jimmy was the one sent home – becoming the fourth celebrity to leave the South African camp.
According to reports, Jimmy is planning to take legal action if he is not paid in full by ITV. Speaking to the Daily Mail, a source revealed: “None of this is Jimmy’s fault.
Jimmy decided to quit the trial putting both him and Adam at risk of elimination (Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
“It feels like ITV has taken Adam’s side rather than Jimmy’s. Maybe that’s because they see a working future with him, who knows. But he was left completely baffled at Adam being allowed to carry on.”
It is understood that contestants are required by contract to attend the live final, with failure to do so potentially costing Jimmy around 20 per cent of his fee.
Talks between Jimmy and ITV are believed to have broken down after filming wrapped in South Africa last year, prompting the 47-year-old to initially decline attending the finale.
However the situation seems to have change, as in a recent Instagram post Jimmy hinted he may still appear at the live show.
Sharing a video originally posted by campmate Sinitta about his argument with Adam, alongside Sinitta’s caption which read: “A big argument. I can hear c-word, c-word, shouting, c-word, you c-word.”
Jimmy seemingly took a swipe at Adam as he captioned the repost: “Wow thanks @thesinittaofficial shame that wasn’t shown! My version will be told Friday! Can’t wait to see you all….well some of yous!!.”
Adam and Jimmy came to blows in the jungle(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
The row has sparked further controversy, with the Mail claiming that parts of the altercation were edited out of ITV’s final broadcast. Reports suggest that stronger language and more aggressive moments were not aired.
An insider alleged: “Adam just completely lost it and went for Jimmy. He called him a c*** and Jimmy believes that he tried to kick him, too.”
Later adding: “Jimmy’s view is that Adam was vile, vicious and violent, but most of it has been cut out by ITV so the viewers will not see the full extent of his behaviour.”
However ITV has denied these claims, as a spokesperson told the Metro: “This is categorically not true. Adam did not try to kick Jimmy.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.dailyrecord.co.uk ’
