Adam Thomas Opens Up About Therapy Journey Following Controversial Clash with David Haye

Adam Thomas has opened up about his emotional struggles following his experience on “I’m A Celebrity” and a contentious relationship with fellow contestant David Haye. The actor, known for his role in “Waterloo Road,” shared that he has started therapy as a result of the turmoil he faced after the show.

During their time in the South African jungle, Thomas, 37, and Haye, 45, clashed frequently, leading to a strained relationship. The filming took place in September of last year, and since then, tensions have continued to simmer between the two.

Haye has been criticized for his behavior towards Thomas, with accusations of bullying surfacing after several comments made by the boxer were aired. In one particular incident, Haye labeled Thomas ‘useless’ after the actor opted out of a trial due to health concerns.

The animosity didn’t stop there. On Tuesday night, Haye took another jab at Thomas via social media, further exacerbating the situation. In the aftermath of these events, Thomas has sought therapy to cope with the impact of their jungle encounter.

In a candid conversation on the podcast “At Home With The Thomas Bros,” which he hosts with his brothers Scott and Ryan, Adam admitted that the ongoing feud has significantly affected him. He described the conflict as something that deeply troubled him, underscoring the emotional toll it has taken.

Breaking down in tears, Adam said: ‘It was like being back in school again and although it wasn’t physical bullying or anything like that, and I’m not saying it’s bullying, but he was just mind f***ing me. 

Crying Adam Thomas has revealed he is in therapy after his I’m A Celebrity stint and feud with David Haye left him ‘broken’

The Waterloo Road star, 37, had a fractious relationship with boxer David, 45, during their time together in the South African jungle, which was filmed in September last year

‘And I just never stuck up for myself whilst I was in there and I was like “s**t bro, I wish I stuck up for myself”. That was beating me up more than anything.’

Adam also said: ‘I’m not the same person, like I know for a fact I am not the same person as I was when I went into the jungle to when I came out. It’s changed me and that’s no over exaggeration. 

‘I’m in therapy now because, like it’s f***ed with me mentally because I just thought, “How is this happening? I’m a 37-year-old man”. I’m like, “How am I letting some other person do this to me in here?”‘

He continued: ‘I think, in a different environment, on the outside if this happened to you, you’d go, “Oh alright, he doesn’t like me, I’m going to leave the situation”, but because you’re in an environment like that, there’s nowhere to hide. You just have to grin and bear it.’ 

Adam went on to explain that he asked his therapist why he was unable to ‘stick up for myself’, and was told he has been constantly putting everyone else ahead of himself, not wanting to draw ‘attention’ to his own struggles.

Reflecting on David’s swipes, Adam said: ‘I just took it, and took it, and took it, until eventually it got to a point where I was like, “I’m literally at breaking point here”.

‘I remember saying to him, “I can’t talk to you anymore bro, if you’re not going to apologise for what you did”, and I reeled off all the things that he did, and he knew exactly why he did it.

‘I was like, “Are you not going to apologise?” and he was like, “I was trying to teach you a lesson” and I was like, “I don’t need a lesson off you bro”.’

Adam said once David was eliminated it felt like a ‘huge weight had lifted’ and he ‘could breathe’.  

He added that David has since apologised to him as he told his brothers the boxer has ‘a heart of gold’.

‘I know he gives off this bravado but deep down, I know he’s a good guy. He really opened up to me, explained why he is the way he is.’ 

Before Adam’s new comments on the ‘bullying’ row were released, David took another vile swipe at him online. 

Taking to his social media on Tuesday evening, David posted an AI-created image of himself in his boxing shorts sternly flashing his middle finger.

Alongside the picture, audio of Adam also plays, where he told David during an exchange in camp: ‘I’ve got no issues David, you’re my only issue right now.’ 

David sparked bullying complaints from viewers when Adam, who suffers from autoimmune condition psoriatic arthritis, told his campmates during last Friday’s episode that he wasn’t feeling well enough to participate in the Termite Terror trial.

The boxer took aim at him, and said: ‘Who gives a s**t if he doesn’t feel well. He’s a grown-ass man. I don’t like guys who are a bit useless.

‘I hate them useless guys. He is useless.’

As Adam suggested he wouldn’t eat that night as a result of backing out, his campmates refused to let that happen.

 David took another vile swipe at him online, posting an AI-created image of himself in his boxing shorts sternly flashing his middle finger while audio of Adam played over it

However, David chimed in suggesting ‘his portion should be a little bit smaller than everyone else’s’.

Adam confronted David over his reaction to his dinner portion, calling him over and saying: ‘Right, me and you outside now.’

Irritated David responded: ‘We got a lot less than we would have had,’ as the dessert was served up, to which Scarlett Moffatt ended the row, saying: ‘Leave him alone.’

I’m A Celebrity hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly said they were left ‘uncomfortable’ by the exchanges in rare comments on spin-off series Unpacked.

Ant said: ‘It’s not a nice watch. He just kind of picks and picks at them.

‘Adam has had a bit of a tough time and he’s not coping well. Clearly the banter has got too much. But David won’t stop.’

Dec agreed: ‘It’s kind of crossed the line from banter. I don’t find it comfortable to watch.’ 

After leaving camp, David told the hosts on his relationship with Adam: ‘No bad blood from my side. Look, I’ve been immersed in tough boxing gyms since I was ten years old. Literally fighting daily, much bigger men than myself, pushing myself to the limits, physically and mentally. I won the world heavyweight championship against a seven-foot Russian giant.

‘When a grown man tells me that a fun TV show – where we’re being paid handsomely every single day – is the hardest thing he’s ever been through, it’s just not a frequency I recognise.

‘I was actually on my best behaviour there, honestly.’

In a new post to fans on Wednesday ahead of the I’m A Celebrity final, Adam shared a group shot with his female campamtes Scarlett Moffattt, Ashley Roberts, Sinitta, Gemma Collins and Beverley Callard.

Alongside the shot, he penned: ‘I just want to say thank you to all these incredible women…

‘You’ve supported me in ways I don’t even think you fully understand, through the doubt, the unknown, and all the moments in between. I’ve always had a soft heart but a strong soul, and this whole experience really tested that.

‘For months, I didn’t know how any of this would be perceived. Even though I stood by every decision I made, there was always that little voice wondering how it would be shown, how it would be edited, how people would see me. And that uncertainty wasn’t easy to carry.

‘But now, reading your messages, seeing your comments, feeling your support, it’s given me something I can’t even put into words. It’s brought me peace. It’s reminded me that staying true to myself was always enough.

‘I was never in it to win. I just refused to let them win by breaking me…’

I’M A CELEBRITY ALL-STARS 2026: MEET THE CAMPMATES

 GEMMA COLLINS 

The GC took part in the 14th series of I’m A Celebrity back in 2014

AGE: 45

SERIES: 2014 (14th series) quit after 72 hours 

OCCUPATION: Reality star 

FAMOUS FOR: Gemma, popularly known as The GC, rose to fame on the reality series The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE). She is known for her larger-than-life ‘diva’ persona. 

ASHLEY ROBERTS  

As the 2012 runner-up, Ashley said going on I’m A Celebrity was life-changing 

AGE: 44

SERIES: 2012 runner-up (12th series)

OCCUPATION: Heart Radio presenter, Pussycat Doll

FAMOUS FOR: Ashley Roberts is a showbiz correspondent for Heart Breakfast. She rose to fame in noughties girlband the Pussycat Dolls. 

SIR MO FARAH

Sir Mo Farah, 43, is hoping to conquer his fear of snakes

AGE: 43

SERIES: Fifth place in 2020 (20th series set in Wales)

OCCUPATION: Olympian

FAMOUS FOR: Sir Mo is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic history. He won gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

DAVID HAYE 

Former World Champion boxer David Haye thinks nothing will scare him in the jungle

AGE: 45

SERIES: 2012, came in third place (12th series)

OCCUPATION: Boxer

FAMOUS FOR: David is a legendary British former professional boxer. He is one of only three boxers in history to have unified the world titles at cruiserweight and gone on to become a world heavyweight champion.

SCARLETT MOFFATT

Scarlett Moffatt, 35, admitted she was feeling apprehensive about the jungle

AGE: 35

SERIES: 2016 Queen of the jungle (16th series)

OCCUPATION: Reality star 

FAMOUS FOR: Scarlett became a TV favourite after joining Gogglebox. She went on to win I’m A Celebrity in 2016. 

SEANN WALSH

Since Australia, Seann Walsh is now a proud dad of two 

AGE: 40

SERIES: 2022, finished in fifth place (22nd series)

OCCUPATION: Comedian

FAMOUS FOR: Seann Walsh is a comedian who was caught in a cheating scandal when he starred in Strictly in 2016 alongside his professional partner Katya Jones. 

SINITTA 

Sinitta, 62, hopes she will finally conquer her phobia of ‘everything’

AGE: 62

SERIES: 2011, voted out second (11th series)

OCCUPATION: Eighties popstar

FAMOUS FOR: Sinitta, first reached global fame in the 1980s with hits like So Macho and Toy Boy. She was also known for her guest appearances on The X Factor. 

JIMMY BULLARD 

Former footballer Jimmy, 47, will be joining his fellow co-stars Gemma and Craig 

AGE: 47

SERIES: 2014 (10th place)

OCCUPATION: Former footballer

FAMOUS FOR: Known as ‘The Bulldog’, Jimmy was a highly technical and energetic midfielder who became a cult hero for his sense of humour and iconic celebrations. 

ADAM THOMAS

Adam’s son, Teddy, was only two when he first did the Australian jungle

AGE: 37

SERIES: Third place in 2016 (16th series)

OCCUPATION: Actor 

FAMOUS FOR: Adam is famous for starring in Waterloo Road and Emmerdale. He recently returned to Waterloo Road for its 20th anniversary. 

 

 HARRY REDKNAPP 

Harry Redknapp won the 18th series of I’m A Celebrity back in 2018

AGE: 79

SERIES: 18th series in 2018. I’m A Celebrity King Of The Jungle.

OCCUPATION: Legendary football manager

FAMOUS FOR: Harry Redknapp’s career spans over 60 years in professional football, transitioning from a skilful winger to one of the most recognisable managers in Premier League history.

CRAIG CHARLES

Corrie legend Craig, 61, was another celebrity who starred in the 14th series

AGE: 61

SERIES: 2014 quit early

OCCUPATION: Actor

FAMOUS FOR: Craig is most famous for his role as Dave Lister in the cult science-fiction sitcom Red Dwarf and for playing Lloyd Mullaney in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street.

BEVERLEY CALLARD 

Beverley was part of the first series that took place in a Welsh castle in 2020

AGE: 69

SERIES: 2020, came in tenth place (20th series)

OCCUPATION: Actress

FAMOUS FOR: Beverley played Coronation Street’s iconic Liz McDonald on and off for 31 years.