13 December 2023 , 15:13
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This is the moment Pete Wicks hilariously 'gate crashes' Sam Thompson's romantic reunion with girlfriend Zara McDermott as she welcomed the I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! winner back to the UK after his Australian adventure.
The 35-year-old TOWIE star made the long flight with Sam after being picked to be his pal's family member on standby for his arrival. However, Pete ended up waiting the full week as Sam became the last man standing to be crowned King of the Jungle on Sunday night. After throwing a house party back at their place in Chelsea, Zara looked delighted to be back with her man as the adorable moment was captured at Heathrow Airport arrivals.
It marked the first time that the close-knit trio had all been together in over a month weeks. Sam, 31, was crowned the champion of the ITV reality series on Sunday night, after beating runner-up Tony Bellew for the lofty title. Meanwhile, former Ukip leader Nigel Farage placed third in the competition, after overtaking This Morning's Josie Gibson for a coveted place in the finale.
Sam Thompson was greeted by Pete Wicks and Zara McDermott at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday (PA)Sam was all smiles as he embraced partner Zara, with whom he has been in a relationship since 2019, and BFF Pete, whom he met in 2018 on Celebs Go Dating, at the busy airport. The Made in Chelsea star was given quite the reception at Arrivals, with Zara waiting with a bunch of helium balloonsand planting a huge kiss on his cheek. The couple jumped into each others arms and were seen screaming in delight. While Pete stood beside to give them their moment before joining in for a hug with Zara.
On Tuesday, Sam posted a euphoric message on his Instagram as he boarded his long-awaited flight back to Britain.
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"I'M GOING HOME!!!! I only just got my phone back this morning, and I don’t quite know where to begin, but I want to start first of all by saying thank you," he captioned the snap, which showed him at the Departure Gate of Brisbane Airport." Thank you from the bottom of my heart, there aren’t quite the words to describe how grateful I am for each and everyone of you who supported me during my time in the jungle. You made a young boys dream (now slightly older) come true, and I will never ever forget that."
Pete 'gate-crashed' the emotional reunion between couple Sam and Zara (PA)Sam, who won over the hearts of I'm A Celebrity viewers with his lovable personality and inspiring grit, admitted that he was anxious of how he'd be perceived on the show.
"When I first stepped foot in that jungle, I didn’t know what to expect, and I was a bit nervous about whether I was going to make myself look like a d*ck as I know I’m a bit full on especially when there’s a lot of people and energy around at all times," he the Staying Relevant host continued. "Coupled with not knowing what was going on in the outside world, I would be lying if I didn’t say I was nervous! Having said that, being on a show I genuinely never thought I’d get a chance to do, and getting to meet Ant and Dec and do all of these iconic experiences that I’ve always watched on the TV just made me so damn happy that I stopped worrying about all that on day 2!"
Sam also gushed his gratitude for the support the public have shown him, adding, "Never in my wildest dreams, did I expect to be crowned King of the Jungle, or that I’d get to do CYCLONE!" He also revealed he had expected to be booted off the show on every elimination, convinced that "there’s no way that people were actually voting for me."