I’m A Celebrity remains one of the show’s most memorable moments.
The former boxing world champion appeared on the ITV programme’s 17th series in 2017 alongside Rebekah Vardy, Dennis Wise and eventual winner Georgia Toffolo. Khan, 38, became a must-see figure on the show, though not for the reasons he’d anticipated.
Partnered with comedian Iain Lee, the duo completed a Dingo Dollar challenge, meaning their campmates needed to answer a question correctly to secure a food treat from Kiosk Keith.
When the camp got the answer right, Khan and Lee selected the luxurious reward of strawberries and cream as they headed back. However, tension arose between them about being honest regarding the prize, with Khan confessing he wanted to “eat the strawberries now”.
Khan proposed simply looking at the delicious dessert; however, their glances quickly turned into consuming the entire portion while away from their campmates, who were excitedly anticipating the treat.
Making matters worse, the pair devised a scheme to deceive their fellow contestants about what happened to the strawberries and cream. When they arrived back at camp, they told the others their answer to the Dingo Dollar question had been incorrect.
View 3 Images Iain Lee and Amir Khan won strawberries and cream(Image: YouTube/I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!)
Consumed by guilt, Lee eventually admitted to their actions, sparking fury amongst their fellow campmates who condemned the shocking betrayal. Years following the incident, which stands as one of the most notorious scandals across the programme’s 23-year run, Khan discussed his choice to indulge in the forbidden food.
In conversation with Betway, Khan explained: “At the time, when I ate them, I thought – yeah, I’m having them. I didn’t know the cameras were rolling, and that people back home were going to be watching. See, this is the thing – I didn’t realise how big of a show I’m a Celebrity was.
View 3 Images They opted to polish off the sweet treat by themselves, instead of sharing it with their campmates(Image: YouTube/I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!)
“I’d never watched it before. I didn’t know how the system worked. But when I rewatched what I did, the way it was edited made me look like such a bad person – like I was doing it on purpose to upset everyone in camp. But honestly, I was just being silly – a bit boisterous. That’s just who I am.
“Looking back, it made me look bad. But would I do it again? I probably would – yeah, why not? But this time, I’d tell them straight ‘Yeah, I ate them – what are you going to do about it?’
“I remember there was Jamie Lomas, Georgia Toffolo and even Stanley Johnson, Boris Johnson’s dad. Even if I did say I ate them, I don’t think they could’ve done anything anyway.”