Not that it would be hard to do when you\u2019ve just been crowned the winner of a big reality TV show, but I made Concetta Caristo cry today. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Normally that wouldn\u2019t make me feel proud, but in the context of my chat with the I\u2019m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! <\/i>winner, it was everything. <\/p>\n
The Aussie comedian and Triple J radio personality didn\u2019t only walk away as 2026 Jungle Queen, she took with her a whopping $100K to be given directly to her charity, Full Stop Australia<\/a> – an organisation that helped her, her mother and her sister escape a terrifying domestic violence situation growing up. <\/p>\n Sadly, it\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n \u201cI think people who\u2019ve gone through abuse or violence we can maybe paint a picture that you see someone happy and you cannot let it define [you]. There\u2019s a way out. There\u2019s a way to making a life that\u2019s free and positive. To be able to show that in some small way, that is an honour,\u201d she told news.com.au. <\/p>\n \u201cIt 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: \u2018Why 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?\u2019 <\/p>\n \u201cI just think this is the most beautiful affirming hug from so many people.\u201d<\/p>\n Concetta is well aware that the most important person in need of a hug in this story is herself. It\u2019s probably the reason why tears came flooding through when I ask her about an old picture plastered on her Instagram. It\u2019s her dressed in a school uniform at around the age of five or six. The most innocent of pictures. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat would you say to that little girl?\u201d I ask her. <\/p>\n \u201cOh,\u201d she hesitates, fighting back tears. <\/p>\n \u201cI would say to her I\u2019m really proud of you and you\u2019re special. You\u2019re special for who you are, being yourself, and you\u2019re 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,\u201d she manages. <\/p>\n \u201cEven though things are really hard, it\u2019s all in the journey of taking what happened to you that you didn\u2019t have a choice in, and making the choice to try and help make other people\u2019s lives better.\u201d<\/p>\n Sunday night\u2019s finale was packed with emotion as Concetta\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n Concetta\u2019s embrace with her mother told their heartbreaking story without them having to say a word. <\/p>\n \u201cI think the tears was for how full circle that moment was,\u201d she admitted. <\/p>\n \u201cIt 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI think about what we came from, how it was, something that was a secret, something I literally didn\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s penis. <\/p>\n \u201cSomeone\u2019s gonna eat some sort of animal penis and I felt pretty honoured,\u201d she chuckles.<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n \u201cOh my God, I know where you\u2019re going with this. You\u2019re going to ask me about my friendship with Gary aren\u2019t you?\u201d she jokes, clearly knowing that it\u2019s her special bond with Luke Bateman <\/a>and that hug <\/i>that I want to know about. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry to disappoint, but we\u2019re friends. I think we\u2019re very lovely friends. He was such an incredible friend to me in the jungle and it\u2019s the most surprising friendship,\u201d she clarifies. <\/p>\n \u201cI would say we\u2019ve just continued [that] as this show has ended. We\u2019re so happy for each other – he\u2019s so happy for me and I\u2019m happy for him. So, for now, there\u2019s nothing more to report. I can feel [the disappointment], but I\u2019ll have to cop it,\u201d she laughs. <\/p>\n This season saw some big names camp out in the jungle including international stars Barry Williams of The Brady Bunch <\/i>fame and former supermodel Rachel Hunter, who was the first celebrity to be eliminated from the show.<\/p>\n A lot more happened, including tense moments between singer Deni Hines<\/a> and former MAFS star Cyrelle Paule, but it was ultimately Concetta\u2019s happy dances that won the hearts of those watching. <\/p>\n Concetta\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n Full Stop Australia <\/a>is one of the country\u2019s leading sexual, domestic and family violence response and recovery services. You can top up Concetta\u2019s donation here<\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n