Burns leaves I'm A Celeb

Brendon Burns has left the ITV2 I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here spin-off after just three days.

The Australian comic was hosting the nightly show from London, interviewing friends, family and fans of the contestants stuck in the jungle.

But Burns walked off the show because he and the producers did not agree on how the programme should be presented.

‘They booked him as feisty, in-your-face Brendon Burns – but didn’t let him do that,’ said a source close to the comic. ‘They booked Brendon Burns but wanted Philip Schofield.’

Burns himself told Chortle: ‘I wasn't comfortable with what was wanted of me. I wanted out, and they let me.’

Tonight’s edition will be presented by former National Lottery host Mark Durden-Smith – who previously fronted the show in 2003.

An ITV spokesman said it was a ‘mutual decision’ for Burns to leave the programme. Insiders agreed that bosses felt they wanted someone who knew the reality show’s format and style better than Burns.

Burns had divided opinion among fans ever since his first appearance on Monday.

On the forums of the official I’m A Celebrity website, viewers complained: ‘Burns is so not funny and shouts too much’, ‘the man is a complete idiot,’ and said that he was ‘awful’.

But he had his fans, too, with other viewers saying: ‘I'm loving Brendon, I thought he was hilarious’ and calling him ‘top-class’.

Burns was also writing an I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here Now blog that viewers could download onto their mobile phones.

Kelly Osbourne will continue to co-present the show from Australia with Durden-Smith in London.

Published: 16 Nov 2006