Vernon Kay has defended the producers of I'm a Celebrity following criticism issued by former participant Matty Lee.
The presenter, 47, and the professional diver, 23, have both been campmates on the ITV reality series, with them having both taken part in the show at Gwrych Castle in North Wales.
They however have differing opinions on the experience, with Matty - who took part in the show last year - having recently alleged that the cast had been "treated like c**p."
The Olympic gold medalist further claimed in an interview last month that the reality series as "controlled," though Vernon doesn't feel the same way about his time in camp.
The presenter - who was a finalist on I'm a Celebrity in 2020 - opened up about his experience with OK! magazine this week, with him denying that producers were controlling.
Vernon said: "It wasn't controlled at all. You can do what you want." He admitted that the latest series had been different to his own, but he said it didn't seemed over-produced.
He said that the most recent series was "a bit difficult" due to the impact of Storm Arwen, for example, though added: "But as far as I saw it wasn't over controlled whatsoever."
His analysis comes after Matty spoke to the Daily Star last month about his experience on the show, with him instead offering a more critical view of the ITV production.
He said to the outlet in the interview: "One thing that shocked me was how controlled it is. More than I thought it would be. It is a TV show at the end of the day."
Matty suggested that if the campmates were "doing nothing," producers would come over a tannoy and encourage activity. He then added: "No, they wouldn't actually say it like that, but they're in control."
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And although he claimed producers are "fully in control," he assured that his interactions were genuine, stating that he was "never prompted" to have certain conversations.
The medal-winning diver however alleged that the campmates were "treated like c**p" and claimed that they weren't allowed to socialise while waiting to do trials.
He said campmates would "want to chat" whilst waiting for trials to be set up, though he alleged this wasn't allowed.
Matty said those participating in trials were kept apart prior to them, speculating: "They didn't didn't want relationships getting built or conversations happening off-camera."
He said that it "makes sense" but eventually left him questioning why they were being "treated like c**p." He further commented: "You're not allowed to do anything."
The Mirror approached ITV for comment.
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