21 November 2023 , 08:59
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Sam Thompson had a very awkward encounter with Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly months before his stint in the jungle.
Sam is clearly delighted whenever Ant and Dec pop into the I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! camp – despite the presenting duo awkwardly snubbing the former Made In Chelsea star earlier this year. Just two months before Sam, 31, set foot in the jungle, the reality TV star came face-to-face with the presenting duo while reporting on the National Television Awards red carpet with his friend and podcast co-host Pete Wicks.
However, things didn't exactly go to plan when it came to bagging an interview with Ant and Dec. Unable to hide his enthusiasm for the I'm A Celebrity hosts, Sam tried desperately to grab a chat with the two men but was knocked back by their publicist in what became a very awkward encounter.
During the awkward exchange, which sees Sam repeatedly trying to convince them to have a chat, Sam even mistook Dec for Ant. And, unfortunately for Sam, pal Pete was on hand to capture the whole thing on camera.
Sam Thompson was delighted to bump into the I'm A Celebrity hosts on the red carpet (Instagram/stayingrelevantpodcast)
But the Made In Chelsea star got the knock back from the duo's publicist (Instagram/stayingrelevantpodcast)In the footage shared by Pete on Staying Relevant TikTok account at the time, Sam can be seen excitedly spotting Ant on the red carpet and running over to greet him. "You'd be amazing to interview for like five seconds, if that's OK," Sam then hopefully asks the TV presenter.
TOWIE's Chloe Brockett makes cheeky dig at Saffron Lempriere during filming
But things turned awkward when Ant and Dec's publicist dashed Sam's hopes of a chat and shook his head, leaving Ant to kindly shake Sam's hand before moving along the red carpet. However, Sam completely misread the situation and thought the interview had been green lit, telling Ant: "Oh good man, thank you sir!"
The reality TV star eventually realised what was actually going on and backtracked as he told the presenter: "Oh you're saying hi, OK, I really appreciate that, thanks very much." Sam's pal Pete was watching on and filming the entire thing for their podcast – cringing at his mate.
Sam literally ran after his TV heroes (Instagram/stayingrelevantpodcast)
Pal Pete was mortified as he watched on (Instagram/stayingrelevantpodcast)"Oh God, the awkwardness," the former TOWIE star declared as Sam ran after Ant and Dec yelling: "We've always wanted to be you, we've always wanted to be you!" Sam managed to get a few seconds with Dec, with the dad-of-two shaking Sam's hand and telling him "I think we're late" after Sam called Dec by his TV bestie's name.
"I got a handshake so, f**k it," Sam declared as he returned to Pete to debrief on what just happened. Pete was much less impressed with the ordeal, telling Sam: "I don't think I've ever been more embarrassed to be your friend." Unfazed by the snub, Sam grinned as he declared: "I think we just smashed that!"
Speaking ahead of entering the I'm A Celebrity jungle earlier this month, Sam admitted he hopes his stint in the jungle will help him become a man and learn a few new skills along the way. "Going in a boy and coming out a man? I absolutely love that idea. That is awesome. Is anyone going to let me cook in there? I doubt it. But of course I hope to learn new skills," Sam excitedly pondered.
He added: "I'm very happy to be a cog in the machine. Wherever someone doesn't want to do, I'll do it. So yeah, I'm very excited to do things that I need to do. I'm a people pleaser. I've got the backbone of a fish."
Sam left I'm A Celebrity viewers in hysterics over the weekend thanks to the way the star met his fellow campmates for the first time during Sunday night's series opener. Sam started off the series alongside Masterchef's Grace Dent, First Dates' Fred Siriex and former EastEnders actress Danielle Harold, all of whom he greeted with huge hugs.
The star seemed to forget he was also famous, as he told First Dates star Fred: "I'm such a big fan!" Viewers watching at home loved seeing Sam's excited nature on screen, with one quipping on Twitter (aka X): "I'm sorry but I absolutely love Sam Thompson. He's the most excitable person, and he loves everyone. You can tell he's loving the experience already."