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EXCLUSIVE Ex-TalkRadio host Iain Lee reveals he was so traumatised by 'bully' Rebekah Vardy in the I'm a Celebrity jungle he quit his career By VIVEK CHAUDHARY Published: 07:56, 23 November 2024 | Updated: 07:56, 23 November 2024 e-mail View comments Rebekah Vardy has been branded a ‘bully’ and ‘obnoxious,’ by former I’m a Celebrity contestant Iain Lee, who claims that he suffered a mental breakdown after appearing on the show with her. Mr Lee featured on the reality TV show in 2017 and claimed that the WAG made him ‘f**king miserable’ in the jungle and left him feeling so isolated that he was left in tears and had to go into therapy. Vardy has found herself back in the I’m a Celebrity spotlight despite not being a contestant with a scathing newspaper column about the show in which she has reignited her war of words with Coleen Rooney , who she was locked in a notorious defamation trial with in 2022.
In a series of barbed comments Vardy claimed she hoped Rooney is forced to 'eat penis or humble pie' in the jungle before more recently slamming BBC Radio 1 presenter Dean McCullough, for 'cosying up' to Rooney on the show in another blistering attack. Vardy, 42 also branded hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly as ‘two small-minded men’ while describing Coleen as 'the gift that keeps on giving' after her canoe capsized during the celebrities' race to the camp. Mr Lee, a former broadcaster and comedian, told MailOnline: ‘There are some people who love the notoriety of being outrageous and obnoxious because it keeps them in the spotlight.
I think Rebekah Vardy is one of them. During their time on I'm A Celebrity in 2017, Rebekah Vardy was accused of 'bullying' Iain Lee, who claims he suffered a mental breakdown after appearing on the show with her Vardy, seen leaving a hair salon in Leicester this week, has taken aim at I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly in a scathing newspaper column In a picture from the 2017 show, Lee is seen breaking down in tears after failing a challenge due to his fear of heights ‘When I was on the show, she bullied me and led a clique that picked on me. There were two occasions when I wanted to get out, it was so toxic and dark in there.
I thought: “I can’t be with these people.” I don’t watch the show now because of what I experienced.’ Mr Lee claimed that the first words Vardy said to him when he arrived in the jungle, later than the other contestants were: ‘I think you’re a f**king t**t.
’ He added: ‘I did a challenge and won. Ant and Dec then asked me to pick five people that would live in relative luxury for the next five days while the others would not. ‘I didn’t pick her and that made her angry.
She came up to me, pointed at me and swore at me. It was very intimidating, and it didn’t make me feel very welcome.’ Recalling another occasion when he failed a challenge and burst into tears, he said that Vardy said to him: ‘Real men don’t cry.
’ Viewers were left horrified by the bullying scandal that involved Vardy, Jamie Lomas, Amir Khan and Denis Wise, who were all accused of victimising Mr Lee. He said: ‘They were all a clique and she [Vardy] led it. I never got any support from her or her group.
’ In another incident, dubbed ‘Strawberrygate’, Mr Lee and boxer Amir won a treat after completing a challenge and both devoured a plate of strawberries and cream before returning to their campmates. After Lee dissolved into tears and refused to complete a Dingo Dollar challenge due to his crippling fear of heights, Vardy said she 'wouldn't tolerate' his behaviour Vardy was accused of treating Lee unfairly in the camp and, after leaving the show, she doubled down by branding the radio presenter 'fake' Adding fuel to the fire, Vardy was seen shaking hands with Amir Khan and Dennis Wise in the Coming Out show, when they watched Lee finish in third place Khan later convinced them that it was Mr Lee’s idea to eat them when it was really his. Mr Lee said: ‘That really p***ed her off and she gave me a huge tongue lashing.
She was really angry and being really nasty. All these years on, people mention the strawberries incident to me and how I was treated.’ He revealed that he was left so devastated by his treatment at the hands of Vardy that he had to undergo extensive therapy after leaving the show and that his experience prompted him to change career and retrain as a counsellor.
Mr Lee previously hosted a show on talkRadio and Jack FM. He now works with victims of bullying and helping those who suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental health issues. Mr Lee added: ‘My experience in the jungle led me to change career and become a counsellor.
I started seeing a great therapist and work through what happened to me. When I came out of the show I was not all right. It sent me into a spiral of depression and anxiety.
It really upset me. ‘I made it known that she [Vardy] made me f**king miserable and isolated when I was in the jungle and was a bully, liar and manipulator. But all that’s in the past now.
’ He added: ‘I’ve been able to make peace with it all and put into perspective that the behaviour directed towards me was not my fault. I just never fitted in with what Rebekah Vardy’s idea of a man is. I had to go through this process otherwise it would have eaten me up.
’ Speaking on Good Morning Britain after she left the camp, Vardy tried to defend herself, insisting her words on Extra Camp were 'taken out of context' During the 2017 series of I'm A Celebrity, Vardy vehemently denied bullying claims and sobbed as she insisted she hadn't targeted the broadcaster as part of a gang Originally when he left the camp, Lee denied Vardy had bullied him, saying: 'There was no bullying going on. Let's quash this rumour once and for all. Bullying is a very serious thing' After watching the Coming Out Show, Lee appeared to change his tune towards Vardy, tweeting that he was unaware of comments made 'behind his back' Vardy has denied bullying Mr Lee and claimed after leaving the show: ‘You know what, I was the one that was being the most supportive of him.
A bully? I’ve never been a bully in my whole entire life.’ She also insisted in a later newspaper interview that the claims were ‘false.’ Vardy added: ‘Edited TV looks a certain way.
I don’t have anything bad to say about him.’ But Mr Lee hit back at her denials. He said: ‘She has a sense of entitlement.
Her attitude is, “You may not like me but I’m going to speak my mind.” But when others try to speak their mind and stand up to her, she doesn’t like it. Read More Rebekah Vardy brands Ant and Dec 'two small-minded men' after rushing back to the UK 'You can see that when she came out of the show, because she appeared very surprised that the comments about her were negative and she was accused of bullying me.
That threw her, and she just became very defensive and tried to shut down any talk about what she had done.’ Vardy was the third campmate to be eliminated from the show, while Mr Lee stayed on until the final day and finished in third place. He said: ‘When she was voted out, I was so happy.
She had a very dark vibe about her. We never got on and she made it very clear that she didn’t like me.’ Despite his experience, Mr Lee insists that he holds no grudges against Vardy or any of the others accused of bullying him.
He said: ‘I have no ill feelings towards Vardy, don’t think about her at all, and having gone through some difficult times, I’m really glad that I went on I’m a Celebrity and am at peace with what happened to me. ‘But I wouldn’t want to have a coffee with [Vardy] or see her.’ He added: ‘I might have finished third on the show, but I feel as if I’ve won.
I enjoy my new life and career.’ Asked if he would take on Vardy as a client in his work as a counsellor, he replied diplomatically: ‘Let’s just say it would be inappropriate and that there are some people I would not work with.’ Rebekah Vardy Share or comment on this article: Ex-TalkRadio host Iain Lee reveals he was so traumatised by 'bully' Rebekah Vardy in the I'm a Celebrity jungle he quit his career e-mail Add comment.
