Ant and Dec Ignored Kelly Brook at Awkward I’m A Celebrity Reunion After BGT Fallout

Ant and Dec awkwardly failed to acknowledge Kelly Brook in her first I’m A Celeb scenes on Sunday despite the pair knowing her for years – after their alleged bitter fallout.

Kelly is thought to have been at loggerheads with the famous pair since 2009, when she alleged they got her fired from her role as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, due to the fact she did not know what they did on the show, leading to a ‘clash of egos’. 

The model and actress insisted they had thwarted her career, saying after the axing: ‘There was nothing I could do in this country after Britain’s Got Talent. The people at ITV were telling me that I had upset Ant and Dec and that was it.’

Kelly’s first interactions with Ant and Dec came on episode one when she parachuted down onto the beach where the presenters were waiting. 

As the star prepared to jump out of her helicopter, she turned to the camera and yelled, ‘Ant and Dec, I’m coming for you!’ 

Joined by Aitch when they first landed the group had a bit of small talk but nothing further despite their history. 

When watching the scenes some fans began remembering that they had history with one viewer penning on X: ‘Do people realise Kelly Brook & Ant and Dec have serious beef with each other? #ImACeleb.’

Another added: ‘Just realised. Doesn’t Kelly Brook not like Ant and Dec after what happened at Britain’s Got Talent? #ImACeleb.’

Ahead of her stint in the jungle, Kelly looked to be extending an olive branch as she said in her pre-show interview about her dream camper: ‘Ant & Dec. They are very well dressed and it would be fun to be in with them to see how they survive.’

In their 2010 autobiography, Dec was candid about the feud – insisting he could not understand why she had been recruited on to the show – words that will have all eyes on the trio come Monday night’s launch show of season 24. 

Kelly joined the third series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2009 as the first ever fourth judge alongside Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan – however she was axed after just one week when the format was deemed ‘too complicated’. 

Despite the explanation, Kelly insisted Ant and Dec were behind the departure due to an awkward exchange. Dec wrote in his memoir, Ooh! What a Lovely Pair: Our Story: ‘Kelly looked nervous, so I told her it was going to be great fun and to just relax…

‘She nodded, then looked at me and said, “And what do you do on the show?”, I looked at Simon, who was sat next to me, he turned to Kelly and said, “Kelly, you have seen the show, haven’t you?” To which she replied, “Yeah… well, bits”.’

‘I don’t want to sound like an egomaniac, but the last person who said, “And what do you do?” was the Queen when I met her at the party for ITV’s fiftieth anniversary.’

Kelly soon hit back saying: ‘There was nothing I could do in this country after Britain’s Got Talent. The people at ITV were telling me that I had upset Ant and Dec and that was it. I would love to have stayed on the show…

‘I really felt it was working out. Ant and Dec had never been anything but pleasant to my face but, clearly, they didn’t want me on the show.

‘Their egos are such that they were saying to themselves “How dare she think she can come on to our show?”, and since then they’ve been very vocal about their displeasure at me being there.’

Further on in their book, the duo confessed they were ‘annoyed’ they hadn’t been consulted about Kelly joining the show. Dec wrote: ‘We had two questions: “Why is there a fourth judge?” and “Why is it Kelly Brook?” None of them could answer us…

‘Obviously, as hosts of the show, we have to justify that kind of thing to the audience, and no one could give us a good reason why Kelly was on board. 

‘The simple answer was that Simon, without talking to anyone, had decided it was a good idea. We didn’t agree.’

She also took a swipe at the duo for writing about her in their book, writing: ‘As for Ant and Dec, good luck to them. They are rich and they are happy, but they won’t be in my autobiography, even if I am in theirs!’

Ahead of the reunion, a source told The Sun: ‘How things ended with Kelly on Britain’s Got Talent was very upsetting. Both sides said things in anger afterwards, which meant the unpleasantness rumbled on.

‘It’s been a long time since they last worked together so understandably there is apprehension on both sides.

‘Kelly is determined for I’m A Celebrity to be a massive success – in stark contrast to her last experience working with Ant and Dec. It’s nerve-wracking that after such a bitter fallout, they’ll now be working together in such close proximity.

‘However their painful history won’t be referenced on air – it would be weird and honestly just plain awkward to do so.’