Sam Thompson has Zara McDermott speechless with first voice note to Tony Bellew
King of the Jungle Sam Thompson left I'm A Celebrity fans in hysterics with his first voice note to runner-up, Tony Bellew, since leaving the Australia.
The 31-year-old was crowned the winner of the ITV reality show on Sunday, after delighting voters with his lovable personality and inspiring determination throughout the series. He emerged from I'm A Celebrity with more than just the lofty title, however, having become mates for life with the other contestants over the past several weeks.
One of Sam's strongest, and naturally most long-lasting, friendships on the show was with former heavyweight boxer Tony. The pair were inseparable in the camp, having become unlikely chums early on in the competition. Sam, who was greeted at the airport by Zara and his best friend Pete Wicks on Wednesday, has now taken to Instagram to share a touching message to his reality show friend.
"Missing the big guy already," he captioned a photo of the pair grinning together. "T-Bone for short….or T-Bag if he’s feeling Particularly villainous (he wasn’t a fan of that one) need to update you on so much mate!" Sam then gushed his gratitude for Tony's support in the camp, adding, "It's been a full day without each other thank you so much for making the past month the best of my life. We’re bonded for life now!" He signed off the sweet shout-out by hinting that a catch-up was on the cards, writing "God a night out with Tony and @p_wicks01 [Pete Wicks] would be one for the ages."
Sam also posted a video of him sending his first voice note to Tony, who recently revealed he'd "adopted" the E4 star as his fifth son after getting to know him Down Under. The hilarious clip appeared to be shot by Love Island's Zara McDermott, whom he has been dating since 2019, and shows the Staying Relevant host wandering around his flat while chatting away to the 41-year-old. In the update, Sam tells Tony he "slept really well" last night and assured him that he didn't have to reply with a voice note. "You can text instead," he said, before promising to visit him in Liverpool 'incredibly soon.'
Corrie's Sue Cleaver says I'm A Celebrity stint helped her to push boundariesSam's fans also appeared to find the video entertaining, with many taking to the comment section to share their reactions.
"It’s the standard “phone pacing” for me," one person noted, adding a series of laughing face emojis to symbolise their amusement. Another joked that they didn't see Tony as the "voice note kind of guy", while a third asked, "Has he replied to your voice note?!? Love your friendship with each other xxx." Others joked that Sam's 'bromance' with Tony could negatively affect his friendship with BFF Pete Wicks, with one even warning that the TOWIE star may be left "jealous" over their bond. The I'm A Celebrity duo's chemistry has even prompted some fans to demand they collaborate in the future, with many calling for the pair to get on screen together again. "We need a Sam and Tony style road trip show," one person wrote, while a second viewer said: "This Sam and Tony TV bromance cannot end on this show. I want Celebrity Gogglebox or whatever they can do."