TV wildlife presenter Chris Packham hit out at the Australian-based reality show – notorious for Bushtucker Trials, where celebs eat live critters or face animal encounters – for cruelty to animals.
He said, “When I see them harmed or killed for entertainment, I wonder if we are not in the Middle Ages. It is no different from a circus.”
ITV responded, saying, “I’m A Celeb! complies with all laws concerning the use of insects, animals and reptiles.
"We inform the RSPCA NSW of all of our activities and they can attend the site at any time. When we feature animals or insects, we have qualified and experienced animal handlers on site.”
Here, Closer asks two celebs what they think of Chris’ outburst...
Check out: I'm A Celebrity's rumoured contestants for 2019
I'm A Celebrity Rumoured Contestants 2019
Jennifer Metcalfe
Hollyoaks star Jennifer Metcalfe is rumoured to be heading into the jungle after her character Mercedes McQueen is shot. In October Mercedes rocky few months - cheating with Liam Donovan, that hit and run with Grace Black, and secretly having an abortion - will catch up on her and she'll be left fighting for her life. Hollyoaks' executive producer Bryan Kirkwood has teased the whodunit storyline "will play out for a couple of months" which means Jennifer will probably have a break from filming. Does this mean she'll have time to go into the jungle? We sure hope so.
Katya Jones
Following THAT kiss with comedian Seann Walsh during last year's Strictly Come Dancing, while she was still married to fellow professional Neil Jones, Katya is a favourite to appear in the jungle.
John Terry
Bookies have made former England and Chelsea footballer John Terry a firm favourite to appear on this year's I'm A Celeb... and things could get a little awkward when you see the next person rumoured...
Frankie Bridge
Of course, John Terry had a MASSIVE falling out with his team-mate Wayne Bridge (Frankie's husband) back in 2010, when he was accused of cheating on his wife with Wayne's wife at the time. Things could get very awkward between these two.
Eyal Booker
Love Island 2017 hunk Eyal Booker will bring some serious eye-candy to the jungle.
Kym Marsh
After quitting Coronation Street earlier this year, Kym Marsh is now a favourite to enter the famous jungle, with many soap stars doing very well on the show in the past.
Dani Dyer
Following her massive success off the back of last year's Love Island, bosses are reportedly very keen to sign up Dani Dyer for the show.
Danny Dyer
As well as Dani, her dad, EastEnders actor Danny Dyer is also tipped to appear on the show.
Rahul Mandal
He stole the hearts of the nation when he won The Great British Bake Off in 2018, so it's no surprise ITV bosses are keen to get Rahul on the show.
Kate Garraway
Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway was apparently due to appear on I'm A Celebrity last year, but she was forced to 'drop out' last minute. Could we see Kate in the jungle this year?
Georgia Steel
After her conman boyfriend 'stole her money', Love Island's Georgia Steel is keen to appear on the popular show. Of course, she's no stranger to a reality show, having already starred on Love Island and Celebs Go Dating.
Jamie Laing
Made In Chelsea star Jamie Laing was reportedly keen to follow in the footsteps of his co-star Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo, who won the show in 2017. But turns out he's actually starring on Strictly Come Dancing this year, so unless he's planning on flying out to Oz in between rehearsals, we can't imagine we'll be seeing him in the jungle this time round.
Gemma Collins
It wouldn't be a rumoured TV list without The GC. After appearing on I'm A Celebrity back in 2014, and lasting only a few days, it appears Gemma is ready to go back into the jungle to prove her doubters wrong.
Duncan James
The Blue singer is rumoured to be entering the jungle, where he will face his life long phobia of snakes. "Duncan has been approached in the past for I'm A Celebrity but the timing wasn't right - until now," a source told The Sun."With his good looks and personality, he is the perfect fit for the jungle."
Alan Halsall
Corrie's Alan Halsall, who plays Tyrone Dobbs on the soap, dropped a major hint he'd be starring in this year's series when he uploaded a selfie in the rainforest, captioning the post, "It's a jungle out there."Hmmmm.
Ovie Soko
Ovie Soko was a bookies favourite to win Love Island 2019 and proves to still be a popular name, with betting shops convinced he'll be a strong contender.
Summer Monteys-Fullam
The spurned ex-girlfriend of disgraced pastry chef Paul Hollywood, Summer has reportedly threatened to cash in on her ill-fated fling and is thought to be "in talks" with show bosses.
Ian Wright
Legendary football pundit Ian Wright has reportedly been offered a six-figure salary to head out to the jungle for 2019."Ian would be a massive signing for ITV who've been keen to get him Down Under for a while," said a TV source."After watching Harry Redknapp win the last series, Ian has decided he would be up for giving it a whirl.
Myles Stephenson
Myles Stephenson, part of 2017 X Factor winners Rak-Su, was approached earlier this year after he was dumped by his Love Island girlfriend Gabby Allen."Myles is a free agent now and so he can't wait to go to Australia and get away – it's a physical and mental challenge and he's really looking forward to testing himself."
Lewis Capaldi
Fans set up a change.org petition to get the Scottish crooner into the jungle, and he seemed keen on the idea."I just think, I can be amusing in fifteen second bursts. But, as soon as you see that most of the time, I just sit a lot on my phone."I mean, I wouldn't in the jungle. But, I think I'm just not that good. But, if they wanna get in touch with me, and are going to pay me, I would happily do it!"
Maura Higgins
Maura's own sister spoke about how she's love to see her in Jungle following her time on Love Island."There is so much lined up for her but I would love to see her on I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, if I could pick her."She would be terrified, but class on it — she'd be effing and blinding out of her arse."
Jacqueline Jossa
After speculation that Jac was set to appear on Celebrity X Factor, a source said, "Lacqueline will not be appearing in on Celebrity X Factor. She did have initial meetings about the possibility but it was decided that things wouldn't be taken any further."As a result she had also sat down with ITV about the prospect of going on I'm A Celeb."As ever, line-ups aren't locked in until closer the time but it is looking more than likely she will be heading Down Under".
Amy Hart
Betting shop Coral said, "Amy didn't find what she was looking for on Love Island, however, we expect her to be a contestant on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here this year."
Made In Chelsea's Tiffany Watson: "It's selfish to exploit animals for entertainment"
Reality star Tiffany Watson, 26, says the show should adapt and do more adrenaline-based challenges, rather than use animals.
She says, “I’m a huge fan of I’m A Celeb! and think it’s a great concept – but I do agree with Chris that they need to stop exploiting animals on the show for entertainment. It’s not fair.
“I’ve been vegetarian my whole life and vegan since 2016, so I don’t agree with eating animal parts anyway – but the use of live animals upsets me just as much.
“When I watch it, I can’t help but think how scared, uncomfortable and confused the animals must be when these trials are performed. I remember watching a trial a few years ago with a camel tied up in a maze, and the camel looked terrified. I felt really sorry for it.
“Animals are not able to speak up for themselves, so we need to do that for them. They did not choose to be put in those challenges, so it’s really selfish of us as humans to exploit them.
“I feel like there could be more challenges that are purely adrenaline-based instead – like when contestants first enter the jungle – such as sky dives or challenges performed at great heights.
“These are just as interesting to watch and are still challenging people mentally and physically, without involving any innocent animals.”
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Nicola McLean, former glamour model: "Everyone wants something to moan about!"
Nicola McLean,38, starred in I’m A Celeb! in 2008. She disagrees with Chris’s comments, saying that people are too sensitive.
She says, “I think Chris’s comments are ridiculous. The world has gone mad – we’ve become too politically correct about everything.
“When I was in the jungle, I had to eat live worms. Are people honestly going to be up in arms about a couple of worms? Most people step on worms in the street or on a path every day!
“And a lot of people would kill a spider they found in their house, so what’s the difference?
“I also did challenges with larger live animals like ostriches and snakes – but they were just doing their thing. They weren’t harmed at all. In fact, they were probably fed, cleaned, watered and treated better than animals in the wild.
“Vegans and vegetarians are in the minority – and I think they should just accept how everyone else feels.
“Most people don’t have a problem with the way vegans or vegetarians choose to live their lives – so why do they shame us meat-eaters?
“Why do people always keep trying to change everything?
“I think people need to get a grip. Everyone looks for something to moan about these days and they just like to suck the fun out of everything.”