The King and his Queen! I’m A Celeb winner Sam Thompson has an emotional reunion with girlfriend Zara McDermott as he arrives back in London after triumphant jungle stint
Sam Thompson had an emotional reunion with his girlfriend Zara McDermott as he returned to London following his triumphant performance in I’m a Celebrity.
Stepping off the plane on Wednesday, the 31-year-old King of the Jungle burst into tears as his 26-year-old partner met him at Heathrow Airport.
Sam won Sunday’s final, beating boxer Tony Bellew and politician Nigel Farage.
Zara proudly clutched several balloons as she waited for Sam before they kissed.
Smiling widely, Zara dressed casually in an oversized cream hoodie and gray athletic leggings.
Sam Thompson had an emotional reunion with his girlfriend Zara McDermott as he returned to London following his triumphant performance in I’m a Celebrity.
Stepping off the plane on Wednesday, the 31-year-old King of the Jungle burst into tears as his 26-year-old partner met him at Heathrow Airport.
Sam previously took to Instagram to share a photo of himself waiting for his flight at Brisbane Airport after finally receiving his phone.
As he solemnly left, the radio host admitted that he was “overwhelmed with gratitude.”
Sharing a lengthy post on Instagram, Sam admitted there are “not enough words to describe how grateful I am” and he was “overwhelmed” by the support from viewers.
The reality star added that he was “a little nervous” when he first entered the jungle as he was afraid he would “make himself look crazy.”
Posting a snap at Brisbane Airport before boarding his flight home, Sam wrote: “I’m coming home!!!! I just got my phone back this morning and I don’t even know where to start, but I want to start by saying thank you first.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart, there are no words to describe how grateful I am to each and every one of you who supported me during my time in the jungle.
“You made a young boy’s (now a little older) dream come true and I will never forget it.
“When I first stepped into this jungle, I didn’t know what to expect and was a little nervous that I was going to make myself look crazy as I know I’m a bit overwhelmed, especially when there’s always a lot of people and energy around.”
“Combined with not knowing what’s going on in the outside world, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was nervous!”
“Having said that, being on the show, I honestly never thought I’d get the chance to do this and to be able to meet Ant and Dec and do all these iconic events that I’ve always watched on TV just made me bloody damn happy. I’m happy that on the second day I stopped worrying about all this!
“I had no idea how much support, love and kindness you showed me and reading some of your comments and messages I am overwhelmed with gratitude!!!
“Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be crowned King of the Jungle or to be cast in CYCLONE!” Every time Ant and Dec came to camp, I convinced myself that I would be the next to go.
“There’s no way people would actually vote for me. But every time I stayed an extra day, I felt more humbled and emotional.
Sharing a lengthy post on Instagram, Sam admitted there are “not enough words to describe how grateful I am” and he was “overwhelmed” by the support from viewers.
Sam (centre) came out on top with more than 50 per cent of the vote after boxer Tony Bellew (left), 41, came second and Nigel Farage (right), 59, finished third.
“Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!!! I have more people to thank and a couple more sentimental posts to make, but first and foremost I want to thank you all. I love you. ❤️’
Sam shared the post as this year’s I’m A Celeb stars boarded a plane back to the UK on Tuesday.
Reality TV star Sam won the 2023 King of the Jungle title by a landslide on Sunday, voting results revealed.
He came out on top with more than 50 per cent of the vote, beating 41-year-old boxer Tony Bellew in second place and Nigel in third.
ITV released two sets of figures showing the percentage of the top three votes before voting was frozen and then reopened for the bottom two.
In the first round, Sam scored 43.35 percent, well ahead of Tony, who scored 30.87 percent, and Nigel, who scored 25.78 percent.
Sam’s lead then widened in the final vote: he won 56.64 percent of the viewer vote, beating Tony’s 43.36 percent by a whopping 13 percent.
Sam has been the bookmakers’ favorite to win for the past few weeks after proving popular with ITV viewers.
Sam jumped into the arms of runner-up Tony as presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly announced the results, before admitting he was “shocked”.