12 December 2023 , 09:20
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Zara McDermott sadly couldn't make it to Australia to greet her boyfriend Sam Thompson after he was crowned I'm A Celebrity's King of the Jungle.
But it didn't stop the Strictly Come Dancing star from sending the former Made in Chelsea personality a message during one of his first interviews after winning. "Sam, I just want to say I don't think the word proud even cuts anymore," she told her beau in a video message sent via Lorraine as Sam settles into life outside the jungle.
"The way you carried yourself in that jungle, the way you made everyone feel so comfortable, you brought such a spark that camp, I've never met anyone like you before. You are so beautifully unique and you are incredible and I love you literally so much and I cannot wait to have you back right here."
Sam was greeted by pal Pete as he left the jungle (James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Zara couldn't make it but watched the final from home (Zara McDermott Instagram)Sam admitted his girlfriend "couldn't wait" to have him home before revealing the sweet nickname he gives the former Love Islander. He told Lorraine: "I mean, she sent me many, many sweet messages. But when you see something like that, then you're just like, 'that was my little goose'. I miss her so much and I can't wait to get home to her.
"And I know she's been sleeping on my side (of the bed) every single time. And I'm very, again, so lucky to have her in my life. I get so many people, asking 'How did you do that?' And I still don't know. I sometimes wake up and wonder if she's still there. Is it a dream? But it's thankfully not."
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On Monday, Sam revealed why he didn't mind the bad weather and lack of food in the jungle - unlike some "proper" celebrities. The jungle winner says he didn’t experience similar problems because it was off-set by the general excitement of being in the jungle . "It might be different for proper celebrities going into the jungle who might not be as big a fan of the show or haven’t watched it as much, but I just thought I won’t get a chance to do this again," he says.
The star opened up following his jungle victory in an exclusive wide-ranging chat with The Mirror’s Tom Bryant. Sam stayed out of trouble during the show when it came to getting involved in any of the fiery political debates such as Brexit.
And he says that this wasn’t a deliberate tactic to avoid controversy…but that he didn’t “have a clue” as to what they were talking about. "I didn’t know what was going on, and I had nothing to add, so I’d literally sit there and obviously with my ADHD, my gaze would go everywhere, and I’d just find myself following a butterfly instead down by the creek,” he says.
As for Nigel Farage, he says he didn’t know “much about him” ahead of the jungle. He added: “The guy that I got used to in there was a sweet enough dude, he kept himself to himself but mucked in when he needed to. “He is like 61 or something and going up and down that creek to get water, it’s tough. I’m glad I didn’t have any preconceived notions of him or anyone in there because, you know, it really makes the experience the most original you could ever have."