I'm a Celebrity's Sam Thompson "humbled and emotional" as he returns to UK
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Sam Thompson has said he's "humbled and emotional" as he prepares to return to the UK as the King of the Jungle.
The Made in Chelsea star was crowned the winner of this year's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! on Sunday (December 10), beating boxer Tony Bellew.
In a lengthy Instagram post, Sam shared a photo of himself in the airport and revealed he'd only been given his phone back earlier that morning.
Related: I'm a Celebrity's Fred Sirieix addresses backlash after getting a "telling off" from his mother
He then thanked everyone who supported him over the past few weeks, saying they had "made a young boys dream (now slightly older) come true, and I will never ever forget that".
"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 dick as I know I'm a bit full on especially when there’s a lot of people and energy around at all times," Sam went on.
"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!"
While Sam had dreamt of being in the I'm A Celeb jungle, that dream never stretched to him winning the show.
"Never in my wildest dreams, did I expect to be crowned King of the Jungle, or that I'd get to do CYCLONE!" Sam continued.
"Every time Ant and Dec walked into camp, I convinced myself that it was going to be me that went next. There’s no way that people were actually voting for me.
"But each time I stayed another day, I felt more and more humbled and emotional. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!!!"
Sam ended the post by saying: "I have more people to thank, and a couple more soppy posts, but my first thank you had to be to all of you. I Love you."
Sam's girlfriend, Zara McDermott, commented under the post: "PROUD DOESNT EVEN CUT IT!!!! Now tell that pilot to put his foot on the gas please."
Related: I'm a Celebrity final voting percentages reveal Sam Thompson's landslide
Zara couldn't meet her boyfriend when he left the jungle on Sunday, as she's currently competing on Strictly Come Dancing. Instead, Sam's best friend and Staying Relevant podcast co-host Pete Wicks met him on the bridge.
Explaining the decision, Zara told fans on Instagram after the final: "Pete is going. We've had a few laughs and jokes about this.
"But in all seriousness, Sam thought I was still going to be in Strictly (bless him, the optimism), so Pete cleared his whole diary for 2/3 weeks to be there."
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! is available to catch up on in full via ITVX.
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