‘I wanted to show my girls’ – Myleene Klass wins I’m A Celebrity… South Africa

Myleene Klass has said that she had “wanted to show” her girls to “keep walking through the fire” after her crowning as the winner of the first I’m A Celebrity… South Africa.

The former Hear’Say popstar saw off competition from fellow finalists Diversity dancer Jordan Banjo, Olympic javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread and former England captain Phil Tufnell during Friday’s final.

The 45-year-old presenter, known for her famous bikini shower scene during her original run in 2006 when she came second to musician Matt Willis, is the first ‘I’m A Celebrity Legend’.

The spin-off show, which was pre-recorded, saw famous faces from previous seasons of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! compete.

Following her win, Klass said: “I had a ball the first time. This time round, I’m a mum and that changes everything.

“You don’t want to let your children down, you don’t want to say something that will embarrass them. You don’t want to bottle out of a trial.”

Klass, who has two daughters over the age of 10, Hero and Ava, along with a son Apollo, born in 2019, added: “We sat down and had a big conversation about it as a family.

“Both of (my daughters) were just begging me to do it. I said to them I’ll be as strong as I can be, I wanted to show them, and other little girls, keep walking through the fire.

“In the 16 years since I last did the jungle, I’ve really been tested and had to really hold (my) nerve.”

She added that her children made her a necklace that she “held on” to during every trial while missing them “so much.”

Over the course of the episode, Klass beat runner-up Banjo during a final eating trial, which involved them facing a menu that included fermented eggs and mice tails.

Their former campmates watched on as Klass chose to eat 40 spoons of stinky tofu during the last moments of the final face-off.

The singer said she was just “thinking” of her “kids” the whole time she was eating the food before being given the sceptre and leaf crown in the episode.

Radio DJ Banjo, 30, said: “Well, the first time I was in the jungle, I came ninth. I’ve just learnt that.

“I’ve been telling everyone for the last six years I came seventh. I was a bit shocked, I didn’t realise I did that badly first time.

“So coming up ninth to second is a huge achievement. Very very happy, very proud of myself but as you saw, Myleene in that final… no one else was coming first.

“So like I said, hats off to Myleene. Thoroughly deserved.”

Klass also credited her fellow celebrities for keeping her in the competition after the vote by all the series contestants which eliminated Tufnell, 57.

She said: “It’s lovely to have the public vote of course the first time round. That gave me so much confidence the first time in my career.

“But the second time, being voted for by my peers who have seen what I’ve done in camp. In close quarters, who lived with me and done the trials with me. To have their acknowledgement and to have affirmation from them.

“Honestly, when they voted for me to stay in for the final three, I couldn’t hold my tears back. I was so moved. That acknowledgement meant everything.”

In third place was Whitbread, 62, who was knocked out by her fellow celebrities during the Critter Countdown trial.

The Olympic athlete, Klass and Banjo had to guess when they hit six minutes while having their feet in green ant infested boxes, hands in hell holes full of cockroaches and crickets and heads in helmets containing snakes.

The full series of I’m A Celebrity….South Africa! is available via ITVX.