Simon Cowell’s nasty on-air dig at Fleur East didn’t go unnoticed, with I’m a Celebrity host Declan Donnelly jumping to her defense during Sunday’s bushtucker trial
As Fleur participated in the ‘Gore Season’s Pizza’ trial this weekend, Dec and co host Holly Willoughby can be heard shouting their usual encouragement. When the trail moves on to Fleur having to hit a giant cheese-shaped piñata, Dec shouts, “Picture Simon Cowell’s face!”
The ex X-Factor star, who came runner up on 2014’s series, manages to crack open the cheese right at the last moment and wins extra stars to feed her fellow campmates.
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![Dean Gaffney (2006)](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-legacy/54/2b7b9/69a10/5d8fd/6f3f0/245e2/c176a/Dean%20Gaffney-iac_940x526.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Dean Gaffney (2006)
Ex-EastEnder Dean Gaffney showed off his impressive ability to yelp like an injured animal in his 2006 trial. To be fair to the man, he did have cockroaches poured on his head, put his hands in a box of biting ants and retrieve a star from a pool of baby crocodiles.
![Gino Du2019Acampo (2009)](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-legacy/26/f76eb/e571d/e7a1b/d67de/2c154/d1d3c/gino-iac_940x526.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Gino D’Acampo (2009)
"I think I've got to eat some kind of weird stuff," commented Gino when he was told he was going to do a Bushtucker Bonanza. Yep, we guess that a fermented egg, a rhino beetle, cockroach, wittchedy grub, mealworms, beach worms and crocodile tongue might be considered 'weird'.
![Jennie Bond (2004)](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-legacy/c2/6c6ab/3ec79/019fa/831a3/849a9/e0df6/Jennie%20Bond%20-iac_940x526.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Jennie Bond (2004)
Alone, wet, cold and covered with rats. Not a situation we'd like to get in any time soon, but former Royal correspondent Jennie Bond managed to last a whole 10 minutes locked in a water and rat filled coffin by humming an upbeat tune. We salute you, Ms. Bond.
![Joey Essex (2013)](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-legacy/ec/07c9b/551b8/87f50/dba73/afa24/e0800/joey-essex-iac_940x526.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Joey Essex (2013)
Locked in a cold, dark, slimy tomb, we'd be freaking out if we were Joey in his 2013 task. But the TOWIE star powered through and managed to find all twelve hidden stars without uttering a single scream, only stopping to moan 'This is definitely, 100% not reem,' and to comment that the rodents were biting his 'middle parts'.
![Mark Wright and Freddie Starr (2011)](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-legacy/a2/099b1/c565a/255bd/e67ca/06423/06759/Mark%20Wright%20and%20Freddie%20Starr%20iac_940x526.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Mark Wright and Freddie Starr (2011)
TOWIE's Mark and hamster-eating comedian Freddie were an oddly matched pair for the 'Greasy Spoon Café' culinary battle, but the resulting Bushtucker trial has to be one of our faves. The couple was challenged to dine on a spoiled egg, blended cockroaches, mealworms and mouse tails, turkey testicles, a camel's toe and a pigs anus.
![Martina Navratilova (2008)](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-legacy/2e/98646/389e0/4cc2d/6a6bc/60040/da119/Martina%20Navratilova-iac_940x526.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Martina Navratilova (2008)
Tennis pro Martina impressed us all when she shared a plastic bubble helmet with a variety of jungle critters, including grasshoppers, cockroaches, stick insects, spiders and snakes. While we shuddered and hid behind our hands, Martina took it like a champ.
![Matt Willis (2006)](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-legacy/12/c608d/461c0/0315c/2116f/a2211/192b2/Matt%20Willis-iac_940x526.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Matt Willis (2006)
Poor Matt Willis proved he's no wimp when he munched his way to victory in his Bushtucker Bonanza challenge of 2006. The McBusted star dined out on live mealworms, witchetty grubs, a kangaroo anus and a crocodile penis. Mr Willis managed the whole lot without a single retch, commenting after 'I've got kangaroo anus in my teeth. It's a really good look.'
![Kim Woodburn (2009)](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/lifestyle-legacy/3f/8ea88/9646c/f9e38/48f7c/6409e/50619/Kim%20Woodburn-iac_940x526.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Kim Woodburn (2009)
Kim was submerged in a tank under water, while thousands of cockroaches and other critters were poured on her. As much as we did feel for clean freak Kim, her screeches of "Something's nipping my bosoms" and "It's bitten my bum!" made this trial a timeless classic.
![Fleur Holly Dec](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/media/5c05/1885/6782/7e06/353c/5504/shutterstock_editorial_10011371au_huge.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
Dec and Simon have a long history as colleagues, having worked on Britain’s Got Talent together since 2007. But Dec made clear where his loyalties lay this weekend, after Simon made a nasty comment live on Saturday’s X Factor which seemed to be a dig at Fleur.
“I don’t want you in the jungle in two years time drinking worm juice,” Simon told finalist Scarlett Lee after her rendition of Elton John’s Your Song. “I want you on either Brodwat or West End or selling records.
“This could change your life, babe,” he added.
![Simon Cowell](https://images.bauerhosting.com/legacy/media/5c05/2f35/6782/7e06/353c/570d/shutterstock_editorial_9990779ed_huge.jpg?auto=format&w=1440&q=80)
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Viewers at home and the live studio audience were quick to pick up on the jibe, with the crowd immediately erupting into a chorus of ‘boos’ and fans at home taking to Twitter to air their disapproval.
“Can you believe Simon had the AUDACITY to indirect Fleur East when she could’ve been one of the best exports from X Factor if he’d bothered to promote her #XFactor #XFactorFinal," wrote one commenter on Saturday night.
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“Simon Cowell just dragged Fleur East for being on I’m a Celebrity. Shame he’s just jealous because @TheXFactor gets a third of the ratings @imacelebrity gets,” said another. “X Factor is over and everyone but Simon has acknowledged that.”
And as the final live show was aired on Sunday, one commenter had this to say:
“Saturday: Simon Cowell shades Fleur East for drinking worm juice on #ImACeleb.
Sunday: #XFactor final opens with Baby Shark. BABY SHARK. What’s really more embarrassing?”
We’ll let you be the judge of that.
Louis Tomlinson’s act Dalton was voted winner of 2018’s X Factor, with two out of the three acts in the final belonging to Louis’s Boys.