Viewers of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! have been quick to issue the same complaint, but now presenters Ant and Dec have had their say on the divisive matter

Ant and Dec have addressed one of the major complaints from viewers of this year’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! The Geordie duo, both 49, have returned to screens once again, this time to put stars like Emmerdale legend Lisa Riley, rapper Aitch and actress Ruby Wax through their paces in jungle life.

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The programme has become known for putting famous faces in gruelling circumstances normally a million miles away from their usual lifestyles, and as such, they have to compete in grisly Bushtucker Trials to earn meals for camp. Panto legend Christopher Biggins, who won the programme in 2007, spoke about the weight loss he achieved whilst in the jungle due to the food conditions, and Nick Knowles managed to shed more than two stone following his 2018 stint in the outback.

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Sometimes, the celebrities have to live on rice and beans, especially when contestants struggle so much in the trials that they return to camp with little to no stars. In the past, contestants like former Coronation Street actress Helen Flanagan, model Katie Price, and presenter Gillian McKeith were regularly voted to participate in the trials and often returned to the camp empty-handed.

But so far this year, the celebrities have been scoring consistently high in the trials, and a group of them were recently rewarded with a luxury breakfast less than a week into the show’s run.

This has prompted fans to complain on social media and, during an appearance on Saturday night’s Unpacked, former Byker Grove stars Ant and Dec hit back as they wondered what the problem was.

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Dec explained: “I saw a couple of people online during the show go urgh they’re had marshmallows, they’ve had hot chocolate, they’ve had breakfast and it’s only been a week. What are they moaning for?

“But when you think of that expansive time over a week, and most of it has been rice and beans, to go out for that breakfast must have been a taste sensation.”

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Insisting that the stars are still surviving on less food than usual, Ant added: “Yeah, because most people eat what they’ve eaten in a week in a day. So they are hungry.

“This year, what they’ve been given [to cook] hasn’t been awful. Even octopus, if you cook it right, is nice. They just cooked it badly!” It all comes after fans took to social media in their droves to moan about the situation.

One wrote on X: “S*** trials, too much food,” whilst another said: “Drinking tea, which used to be a treat. Access to treats daily, pretty much, easy tasks to get 12 stars.”

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A third added: “They won 10 stars and that’s the food they get?” But a fourth weighed in with: “The state of the food. i’d find a corner and cry!”

Earlier this week, the news was delivered that those who had received a badge from the then-camp leaders – Vogue and Tom Read Wilson – would be enjoying a cooked breakfast away from the camp, but EastEnders star Shona McGarty and Lioness Alex Scott were left out.

“We promised you would be rewarded for your badges – you will be heading out of camp for a delicious, slap-up breakfast,” the duo revealed, to cheers from the campmates. However, Alex and Shona were the only two not to receive a badge, which meant that they had to take part in the next Bushtucker trial with Vogue and Tom.

“However, Alex and Shona, unfortunately for you, you weren’t awarded with a badge, which means there’s no breakfast for you, and you have to take on today’s trial,” they added. Shona and Alex looked disheartened upon hearing the news, with Alex saying: “No way.”