Friday night's episode of I'm A Celebrity...South Africa included some emotional scenes as viewers saw a contestant offered the opportunity to phone home. However, the move left to a difficult choice for one contestant - and led to some angry reactions from viewers.
Challenge leader, EastEnders star Dean Gaffney, offered Helen Flanagan the chance to call home and speak to her young children, the Mirror reports.
It comes as Friday night's episode saw Georgia Toffolo, Andy Whyment, Myleene Klass and Jordan Banjo battle to stay on I’m A Celebrity …South Africa during a tense head-to-head trial.
While the phone home segment was good news for Helen, it meant that that Myleene Klass and Jordan Banjo both lost out on speaking to their loved ones.
Explaining his choice, Dean said Jordan was 'strong enough' to go another stretch without speaking to his nearest and dearest, and said he knew that Myleene would understand why he was choosing Helen.
But not all I'm A Celebrity viewers agreed with Dean, as some called him 'cruel' for leaving Myleene in tears as she watched Helen walk to the phone to speak to her three children, Matilda, 7, Delilah, 5, and Charlie, 4.
Some viewers spoke out about their disappointment. "That was such a brutal challenge and I know Dean had to chose somebody but wow, that's so tough. Poor Myleene," one viewer shared.
"Dear god poor poor poor Myleene," another echoed, while a third agreed: "Dean could have chose wiser."
"That's a horrible task!!! All three should have been allowed to have called home," another complained.
Someone else joked: "Myleene is a stronger woman than me. I would have tackled Helen to the ground."
Despite the divided opinions, Helen was over the moon to have spoken to her three little ones.
"It's made my day. It was so so good to speak to them. It's given me even more determination," Helen gushed.
It comes as Friday night's episode saw Georgia Toffolo, Andy Whyment, Myleene Klass and Jordan Banjo battle to stay on I’m A Celebrity …South Africa during a tense head-to-head trial.
The camp’s pride leaders Joe Swash and Dean Gaffney were tasked with picking two members from each of their prides to go head-to-head in a “straight race” for survival on Friday’s episode.
Former Made In Chelsea star Toffolo and actor Whyment were chosen for Swash’s green team, who have lost every challenge to date, while former Hear’Say singer Klass and radio DJ Banjo were picked for Gaffney’s yellow team.
The four celebrities were trapped in four separate mine shafts and covered in sticky molasses where they had to dig for golden nuggets before placing on a pair of scales.
The first pair to tip the scales will win a picnic at a waterfall along with “celebratory bubbles”, while the losing pair will be immediately eliminated from the ITV reality show.
During the nail-biting trial, Klass struggled to find golden nuggets and both her and Whyment dropped their discoveries en route out of the mine shaft – which were automatically disqualified.
Co-host Declan Donnelly said: “This is going to be close,” with the outcome of the trial set to air next Monday.
The episode also saw actor and TV presenter Swash complain he had the “worst outro ever” on EastEnders as the campmates discuss their challenging experiences in the media industry.
Friday’s episode saw the contestants discuss the BBC One soap opera as both Swash and fellow new arrival Gaffney previously starred in it.
Gaffney, who played Robbie Jackson on the show, revealed that he would go back to the show even after returning five times already.
The discussion led to Swash, who previously portrayed Mickey Miller on the show, admitting: “I wouldn’t mind (going back), you know. Purely because of the family. Because you know what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, when you’re doing it.
“They’ve never asked me to go back in again, not once, mate!”
When asked about how things ended for his character, the actor added: “(It was) the worst outro ever … I didn’t even leave at the end of the episode.
“You know you leave and you get the ‘duff duff’? Mine, I went to Norwich to be a bellboy at a hotel and mid-scene just walked in The Vic, went, ‘See you later’, turned back to Phil, come to me and I’d gone.
“What? That was it? No ‘duff duff’. I was there five years and not one ‘duff duff’!”
Klass also reflected on difficult moments in her career, including alleging that Sir Elton John sent her pop group Hear’Say sympathy flowers after making a rude comment about the band.
She said: “We got sent flowers from Elton John who said we were the ugliest band in pop.
“He realised, ‘maybe I shouldn’t have said that’. He sent ‘sorry’ flowers to us… I look back at that time, it was a different time in history.”
The singer added that the group were also described as “the fattest band in pop” by one of their band managers.
“Rather than the fact we had talent, I could read any music, play most instruments you put in front of me… it came back to ‘fattest band in pop’”, she recalled.
The BBC and representatives for Sir Elton John have been contacted for comment.
READ NEXT:
Boots offers huge sale on popular items over coronation weekend
King Charles' swollen 'sausage fingers' explanation offered by doctor
MOTs, fuel prices and electric cars could be affected by changes
Woman 'left without food' after Argos failed to deliver fridge freezer
Motorists warned as new AI speed camera can scan inside cars day and night
