Second to Scarlet Moffatt

He entered the I’m A Celebrity… jungle a virtual unknown. 

But comedian Joel Dommett has come second in the ITV reality show after winning millions of fans for his charm, good looks – and willingness to take a challenge.

Before tonight’s broadcast, he was 13/2 outside to win out of the three remaining celebrities with much longer odds than favourite Scarlett Moffatt, from Gogglebox, at 1/2 and Emmerdale’s Adam Thomas at 9/4.

All three had to endure their own Bush Tucker Trial on tonight’s show. For the challenge hosts Ant and Dec made Dommett eat a dead hawk moth, pigs’ snout, two fish eyes, goat testicles and penis, and a blended scorpion drink.

Thomas was first to be voted out, leaving the final viewers vote between Dommett and Moffatt, who went on to scoop the Queen Of The Jungle title. 

After hearing the news, the comic said, self-deprecatingly: ‘I feel like I’ve been thoroughly unentertaining.'

And of Moffatt, he said: ’She’s the best human being I’ve ever met; she’s so fantastic. The moment I met her I thought, "She’s going to win".’

After making the final, Dommett said: ’My mum has always told me I was special. This is the first time I actually felt special.’

On the show, jungle-mate Danny Baker called Dommett 'the dryest man on the planet', adding: 'He's got wit, not just belly laughs, but wit.'

Dommett reportedly got paid the lowest fee for being on the show – £25,000 compared to top earner Carol Vorderman’s £200,000 – but he had most to gain from the added profile of appearing on an ITV show that gets more than 10million viewers. Already, most of his 2017 tour has sold on the back of his TV appearances.

While in the jungle, the 30-year-old comedian built a flirty rapport with Vorderman, the only other single celebrity on the show, despite a 25-year age gap. Although last week he admitted to Moffatt: ‘I started dating someone before I came out here.’ But said he was a ‘commitment-phobe’ whose nighttime hours as a stand-up made it ‘hard to date a normal person who has a normal job.’

He also impressed in his first Bushtucker Trial, conquering his fear of heights to scale a 100ft crane.

He also spoke about how he fell victim to a ‘catfishing’ scam that led to a sex tape being leaked online. He engaged with a long flirtation with a woman online, who eventually suggested ‘Skype sex’ – a session that was recorded and later used to blackmail him.

Before I’m A Celebrity, Dommett’s biggest TV role was on Sky 1's panel show Bring the Noise last year. He also had a recurring role as DC Sweeney in Skins in 2000, and hosted Live In Chelsea, a live discussion show about Made in Chelsea.

Published: 4 Dec 2016