Tony Bellew has admitted his jungle adventure is tinged with sadness – after his "wonderful" nan Rose died just 24 hours after he signed his I’m A Celebrity contract.
The ex-boxing champ, who will go into camp as one of two late entries alongside Frankie Dettori, paid tribute to his "second mum" who died aged 97 last week. She was looking forward to watching him compete on the show.
The star said he only committed to flying out once it was confirmed he could be home in time for her funeral. Tony, 40, told The Mirror: "I signed the day before she passed away, so there was no going back then. If I sign something, I honour my agreement.
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"In an ideal world I would have left it but I had signed. I was coming, so I am here. But I am going back to bury her on the 15th." The sportsman revealed he planned to quit the show if he was unable to attend his nan's funeral.
"I was going to renegade if I couldn’t move the burial date. I can bury her now when I get back," he said. Paying tribute, he added: “She was in a home. And she told my mum ‘I’ll be able to watch that [I’m A Celeb] every night’.
"She’ll be watching, you know, from wherever she is and whatever she’s doing. She was a diamond of an old lady. She was wonderful. She was a lovely, lovely woman, and she had the heart of gold, so she’ll be missed by all of us. Me and my brothers and my mother and my dad by the way as well."
Laid back Tony, a former cruiserweight world champion who also twice defeated David Haye, said he signed up for the show mainly to give his kids some memories and fun as they normally watch the series at home in Liverpool. He said his wife Rachael also fancied a trip to Australia with their three sons.
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“They’ll be here having an absolute scream while I’m sitting there starving,” he added. The diehard Everton fan does not class himself as a celebrity and has no plans for a big entrance or for bust ups.
He said: “I get along with anyone, I don’t have any problems, any issues. I’m pretty easy going. I was always calm fighting and I love fighting. It’s the best thing. It was the only thing I’m good at. Life was much easier when I could punch people in the face and get paid."
Tony has criticised Nigel Farage online in the past, but insisted he would give him the benefit of the doubt. He said: “He’s just another human being exactly the same as myself. So, like the other 11 people in there, I’ll get to know him and I’m sure we’ll go from there. He hasn’t done anything to me personally.
“You just find a way to get along with people. So I’m just happy go lucky. I’m from a different world to these people. And I don’t actually class myself as a celebrity. I’m just someone who was good at punching people in the face.” He added: “There’s not much that I’m not scared of to be honest.
“I mean, who likes rats? Who likes mice? Who likes snakes? Who likes cockroaches? No one. If you show me someone who does like those things, I’ll show you a weirdo. It should be a fascinating experience to say the least."
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