David Haye has broken his silence after his explosive appearance on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! sparked outrage among viewers and allegedly left the former world champion preparing for a massive legal showdown with ITV.
The 45-year-old ex-boxer is said to be furious over how he was portrayed during the South Africa all-stars edition of the hit reality show, with reports claiming he has assembled a legal team and is considering suing the broadcaster for damages that could soar far beyond £10million.
Haye became one of the most controversial figures in camp after clashing with fellow contestant Adam Thomas and making a string of remarks that triggered backlash from viewers across social media.
In a fiery Instagram video posted after leaving the jungle, the former heavyweight champion suggested he had been unfairly edited and manipulated by producers in order to create a damaging narrative around him.
Speaking directly to camera, Haye insisted he was no longer willing to stay quiet when he believed he had been wronged.
“I don’t like getting pushed around. I don’t like people taking advantage,” he said.
“You know, I’ve had stuff happen in the past. I’ve let certain stuff go. But as I’ve got older, I’m like, nah, you’re taking the p**s. I’m going to take it as far as it needs to go.”
The boxer went on to claim that the reality series was far from authentic and accused producers of heavily steering situations behind the scenes.
According to Haye, once the full footage is examined in court, the truth about what happened in camp would become clear.
“Once the tapes have been viewed, once the evidence has been presented, and once they see what the public sees, they’ll realise that maybe this reality TV might not be that real,” he claimed.
“Maybe manipulated, heavily directed in a certain narrative for a specific reason. And I’m looking forward to a judge seeing exactly what went down so they can make their decision.”
The sports star then hinted that ITV could be facing a financial nightmare if the case moves forward.
Although reports suggested the potential lawsuit could be worth around £10million, Haye insisted the figure being discussed publicly was nowhere near high enough.
“There’s lots of different elements that I can’t talk about,” he explained.
“But yeah, in regards to how much this claim is going to be, I’m hearing this 10 million number banded around. I don’t know where that came from, because the number I’m going to hit them with is way more than that. Trust me.”
He added: “So exciting times.”
Despite spending years inside the boxing ring fighting some of the toughest opponents in the sport, Haye admitted this legal war could become one of the biggest battles of his entire life.
“I’m ready for this battle. It’ll be one of the biggest battles I’ve ever had,” he said.
“But I’m enjoying the process. I’m excited.”
The former champion also accused the programme of causing long-term harm to his image and reputation, saying the way scenes were edited had negatively affected both his personal life and public brand.
He claimed there had been “negative repercussions” from the show and described the alleged impact as “detrimental”.
“I’m not too happy about it,” he admitted. “Not too happy at all.”
Haye’s time in the jungle attracted intense criticism from viewers after several controversial moments aired during the series.
One of the biggest talking points came when he discussed his girlfriend, model Sian, while chatting with campmates around the fire.
Describing her appearance, he said: “She’s like tall, blue eyes. She’s lovely.”
But his comments quickly took a controversial turn when he added that she had “the personality of a proper ugly bird.”
He then claimed that “ugly girls” need to rely on “personality and banter” to compensate for not being “aesthetically amazing.”
The remarks immediately sparked outrage online, with many viewers branding the comments offensive and disrespectful.
However, the most explosive row of the series centred around actor Adam Thomas after tensions boiled over during a challenge.
During one tense exchange, Adam explained he was struggling physically and did not feel well enough to take part in a Bushtucker Trial due to his ongoing battle with psoriatic arthritis, a painful condition that causes inflammation and stiffness in the joints.
Instead of showing sympathy, Haye bluntly responded that he did not “give a s**t,” leaving fellow campmates visibly stunned.
He later branded Adam “useless,” further fuelling accusations of bullying behaviour inside camp.
The scenes prompted fierce debate among fans, with many accusing the former boxer of being unnecessarily harsh and aggressive toward the actor.
Despite the backlash, Haye appears determined to fight back and insists viewers did not see the full story.
The reality star now claims that key moments were selectively edited in a way that damaged his reputation while presenting an inaccurate version of events.
ITV has not publicly commented on the alleged legal threat.
