All my screams were 100% real... it's scary when you're in a box with creepy-crawlies going up your bum

HE stepped into the I'm a Celebrity jungle as arguably one of the lesser-known campmates.

- TOM BRYANT

But there's no doubt the 10 million viewers watching the show at home all know about Dean McCullough now.

From accusations he was faking his screams to Ant McPartlin's cross words with him over a perceived lack of effort in trials, Dean's jungle journey has been nothing if not eventful. But, ask anyone, and they all agree: I'm a Celeb 2024 wouldn't be the same without him.

When the Mirror meets up with Dean back at his hotel after being evicted from the show, he said he guessed something was up after being voted seven times to do a Bushtucker Trial. He says: "I thought 'what have I done that has made people want to vote for me".

TROLLED

After the trials began racking up, it suddenly dawned upon him.

"I thought, 'Oh God, I'm getting rinsed. I'm getting trolled online here," he says.

Some fans didn't believe that his cries in the trials were real, while Ant even questioned whether he was trying hard enough.

But he insists: "They were 100 per cent real.

"I can't tell you how much being on national TV in front of Ant and Dec was incredibly intimidating and also just how scary it is. Especially when you're in a box and you can't move, and there's creepycrawlies going up your bum."

He says he regrets ending two of the trials so early - particularly the one involving fish guts - and understood Ant's frustration.

Dean, 32, said that after he and GK Barry flopped in the Drown in the Dumps trial, they both noticed the host's irritation. He says: "I knew Ant was being slightly grumpy with me but I put it down to the weather.