Winner crowned in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2021

Emmerdale actor Danny Miller has been crowned as the winner of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.

The soap star, 30, triumphed over Coronation Street’s Simon Gregson during Sunday night’s final at Gwrych Castle near Abergele in North Wales.

Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge placed third and was eliminated earlier in the night.

After presenters Ant and Dec announced he had won the competition, Miller was handed the winner’s sceptre and a floral crown before being named King of the Castle.

He said: “I mean honestly, from the bottom of my heart and my family’s heart – thank you so much, this is just the best thing that’s ever happened to me, bar my son. So yeah, I can’t believe it, I’m shocked.”

The actor added: “I never thought I’d be in this position, I barely thought I’d make it through the first two or three votes or so.”

Miller entered the castle three weeks after the birth of his first child, a son called Albert, and told Ant and Dec he had gone on the show to secure his child’s future financially.

He said: “I have made no secret about the fact that I wanted to be able to give him and set him up for a good future. I wasn’t financially set for that and this is an opportunity to do that.

“It would set me and my family up. I feel like I have done it. I feel proud of myself and I hope my family are as well.”

In making the final, Bridge beat her husband, former footballer Wayne Bridge, who took part in the programme in Australia in 2016 and came fifth.

Sharing a photo of Miller siting on the castle throne, Ant and Dec wrote on Instagram: “All hail Sir Cry-A-Lot our King of the Castle!!

“Massively deserved @danny_b_miller, and wow, what a series!! They’ve conquered The Clink, weathered worrying wind (both in and outside the walls) and the rankest of Trials.

“A huge congratulations – and thanks – to our amazing campmates and crew, and the biggest thank you of all to all of you watching at home. See you soon!”

The final on ITV saw the trio face challenges alone in a bid to win a last dinner together, with Miller trying to win starters, Gregson aiming to secure main courses and Bridge on desserts.

Miller’s challenge involved wearing a large transparent helmet which was filled with “castle critters” including cockroaches every two minutes – with every two minutes he endured earning a star.

Singing to distract himself, he admitted: “Wow, it’s intense this, isn’t it?”

Gregson faced an eating trial in which he was tasked with consuming a pig’s eye, which he described as tasting like “a pork scratching (left) in your pocket for a week”, and in a first for the programme, goat tongue.

Donnelly joked: “Any feedback is gratefully received.”

Then he drank a bowl of castle gruel made of fermented egg, tofu, plums and more.

McPartlin and Donnelly joked that he had eaten a whole farmyard by the end of the challenge and started singing “Steve McDonald ate a farm” – a reference to his Coronation Street character.

Bridge was locked inside a tomb for 10 minutes with an increasing number of snakes, with the final two minutes served in total darkness.

The singer started repeating her dessert choice to herself, saying: “Apple crumble, apple crumble.”

McPartlin remarked that the challenge was “hardcore”.

After their successes, the trio sat down at a table covered in a white cloth for their final meal and reflected on their respective experiences on the show.

Bridge opted for baked camembert, a roast beef dinner, apple crumble and custard and white chocolate fingers.

Gregson, meanwhile, chose prawn cocktail, lamb chops, mash and peppercorn sauce on the side, Eton mess and chocolate.

Miller had halloumi fries, a full English breakfast, a cheeseboard and chocolate.

As they ate, Bridge said: “The friendships you make in here are ridiculous really.”

The ITV show has been on air since November 21 and has had an eventful three weeks, including having to remove intruders on two separate occasions.

The celebrity contestants were also evacuated from camp for a few days and taken to separate locations without phones, internet or TVs as a precaution as Storm Arwen caused damage to the production.

Following three days off air, the show returned after the production team worked around the clock to get it back up and running.

This year’s series also saw TV presenter Richard Madeley exit the show early after he was taken to hospital as a precaution when he fell ill. Having broken the Covid bubble, he was not able to return to the programme.

The show returned to Gwrych Castle for a second year due to ongoing coronavirus travel restrictions, preventing filming at its usual location in the Australian jungle.

The last series of the programme was won by podcast host Giovanna Fletcher.