I'm a Celeb's Sam Thompson defended by Pete Wicks after viewer complaints
The Only Way is Essex star Pete Wicks has defended his best mate, Made in Chelsea's Sam Thompson, from criticism from I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! viewers.
Sam is competing in the current series of the ITV jungle competition, and in an interview with the Daily Mail, Pete explained why his friend can be "aggravating" and asked people to understand.
"Sam is a grower, not a shower, let's put it that way," he said.
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"I know he got a bit of grief on the first night for being over the top but that is him and that's the reason that everyone loves him. I think he's a superstar just the way he is.
"It just takes a bit of time if you're not used to it. It's like having a big child... I think he sees me as his dad.
"He is quite obviously aggravating, however that is the Sam that we know and love and I specifically love. I'm hoping that he can continue being the happy puppy that he is."
"Sam struggles with boredom and a lot of things because of his ADHD and autism but that shouldn't be seen as a bad thing. I have read a lot of comments and it's something that I believe shouldn't define him," Pete continued.
"People should embrace that because he's entertaining and that's what the show is about. He should be defined by the fact that he's a really fun, positive guy and that's his personality aside from having ADHD and autism."
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Pete also shared his concern that Sam will stress himself out by thinking about the public's perception of him, which is something he won't be able to check until his jungle time is over. He said he thinks his friend has already started to do it.
"The only thing that will get to Sam is that he's a massive worrier and sometimes he can try too hard, which is what he's been doing already.
"He wants everyone to like him, and he will want the audience to like him and because he has no idea what people are saying in the outside world, if he starts to overthink that then it will get to him if he has a bad day," he said.
Even though this year's series has just started, the finale date has already been confirmed. Can Sam make it all the way?
I'm a Celebrity… airs on ITV1 and ITVX.
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