Kathy Burke says she was recently left ‘really angry’ with Ant and Dec after ‘step too far’
‘It was a step too far,’ British actor said
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Your support makes all the difference.Kathy Burke has explained she was recently left “really angry” with TV hosts Ant and Dec.
The actor, whose credits include Gimme Gimme Gimme and Kevin & Perry Go Large, spoke out against Saturday Night Takeaway presenting duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly while reflecting on the latest series of ITV reality series I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, which aired in December 2023.
Speaking on her podcast, Burke expressed disappointment with the pair for not speaking up when ITV enlisted Nigel Farage to be a contestant on the reality series – a decision that led Burke and many viewers to boycott the show.
Burke’s latest guest on her podcast Where There’s a Will, There’s a Wake was comedian Seann Walsh, who appeared alongside the former Ukip and Brexit Party leader on I’m a Celebrity. Burke told him: “I didn’t watch this year’s because of Farage being in it.”
When Walsh replied, “Good for you”, Burke added: “Well, it was a step too far. I just thought, you f***ing arseholes. And I was really angry with Ant and Dec. They’re Irish descent, man!”
She continued: “And also, I think it was really unfair on the rest of you, on the other contestants.”
During Farage’s time on the show, he clashed with First Dates star Freid Sirieix, who grew infuriated with the former following a chat about the environment. Sirieix also confronted Farage over what he described as a “shameful” 2016 Brexit poster depicting a line of desperate refugees trying to reach Europe under the headline “Breaking Point”.
Walsh, who said he had “never been petrified of anything more in my life” before going into I’m a Celebrity, said he felt odd when his campmates, including Farage, would talk about “really big moral stuff” as it “shouldn’t be on a light evening show that the kids are watching”.
Burke then asked Walsh if he was “relieved” to think he might “not be the most hated person” on the show, the comedian said: “That’s it. All I’m thinking is I hope I don’t get out of this and it’s like the last time. But actually, I had a lovely experience and really enjoyed it.”
The “last time” Walsh was referring to was his controversial appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, which resulted in a scandal. Walsh was caught kissing his professional dance partner Katya Jones on a night out in London, and the pair issued an apology, calling it a “drunken” mistake.
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