Delighted Seann Walsh is "overwhelmed" after coming fifth on I'm A Celebrity - as his friends say this will be a "new chapter" in his life.
The 36-year-old comedian was evicted from the jungle on Friday night and was emotional in his chat with hosts Ant and Dec afterwards.
Later he composed himself and said in a video message to fans: "Fifth place. Very happy. Thank you so much for your support. I cannot believe that I got that far, an absolute privilege."
He also posed with pregnant partner Grace Adderley, who he credits with giving him the courage to go on the ITV show.
Seann declined to do the usual contestant interviews and media commitments as he spent time with Grace in their hotel suite and got over the shock of doing so well.
One show source said: "He wants to let it all sink in before speaking in-depth about his experiences. He was feeling a bit overwhelmed and emotional after being reunited with Grace and you can't blame him.
"He has carried the burden of what happened in Strictly for years and he regrets what happens but really wants a second chance. Going on the show was a risk but it could be just what he needed."
Before appearing on the show, stand up Seann was best known for kissing his pro partner Katya Jones on Strictly in 2018 when they both had partners. It saw him become front page news and be dubbed a love rat at the time.
But now he will be remembered for his time in camp on primetime ITV, not least because he went in as a late entry alongside shamed MP Matt Hancock.
Friends rushed to offer their support and congratulations to Seann after his eviction.
Fellow comedian and former queen of the jungle Emily Atack said: "So proud of you Seann Walsh - this is a new chapter. Time to move on and find some peace."
And Shappi Khorsandi, another comedian who has been on the show in the past, said: Hurray!!! Seann Walsh is out and will get to hang at that lush hotel with his wonderful Grace before he comes home. So proud of my friend. I'm A Celeb is a total headf**k and he remained his funny, compassionate, complexed self."
And several days before Seann's eviction, last year's Im A Celeb winner Danny Miller said: "Really do like Seann Walsh - very relatable, genuine and funny. Hope he gets back on track after this, deserves to put that all behind him and do well. Gets my vote anyway."
Seann spoke briefly about his hopes of being perceived differently now and rebuilding his career with Ant and Dec.
He said: "That is my issue, in my head. We all listened to each other in there.
"Everyone got their story out and there was so much support. I feel like everyone, we all accepted people for who they are today and everyone got a fair go in there. To get this far feels certainly great. That was the best experience of my life."
Despite now relaxing at the plush JW Marriott hotel on the Gold Coast, Seann doesn't have too long to revel in his new fame and success.
His agents have booked him to play six nights at London's Soho Theatre from Monday December 5. And in a sign that this will be a new start for Seann, two nights are sold out and there are just a handful of tickets left for the other dates.
Before going into the show, Seann said: "Grace is the main reason why I am doing I’m A Celebrity.
“As you can imagine I was very scared after the last time I was on a big show because the fallout was not something you would want to go back to.
"Grace talked me into doing it. She convinced me it was the wrong attitude to have, not doing it because I feared what people would think, but to do it because I would have a wonderful time."
Referring to the Strictly incident which led to him splitting from then girlfriend Rebecca Humphries, he added: "People have voiced their feelings about me and I am hoping they will see I am very different. I want to create new memories.
“I want to make some new friends and new memories and have a nice time”.
After spending almost three weeks in the jungle with new friends and polling thousands of votes each night to outlast the likes of Boy George and Chris Moyles in terms of popularity, he certainly did that.
* You can buy tickets for Seann Walsh's London shows in December at sohotheatre.com
