I’m A Celebrity’s All Star series came to an end on Friday night, with Myleene Klass being crowned the show’s first ever I’m A Celebrity legend. As fans watched on eagerly as the final result was delivered, body language expert Darren Stanton has explained the telling signs that show how the campmates were truly feeling in that moment.
Darren, speaking on behalf of Betfair, revealed the ‘fake’ gestures Fatima Whitbread displayed on her exit as she tried to ‘mask her embarrassment and disappointment’ at not making the final two. Darren also touched on the signs that show Myleene Klass purposely ‘kept her distance’ from her fellow finalists and Paul Burrell was ‘squirming’ as he delivered the final three result.
Darren said: “Paul Burrell was announcing who they had decided to put through to the final three and we saw a change in gestures from Paul as he spoke. When announcing Jordan Banjo and Fatima Whitbread had made it through, Paul didn’t seem to agonise over the announcement too much, but when it came to revealing Myleene was through and Phil Tuffnell was out, we saw Paul using a lot of hand to mouth gestures. It was almost like he was praying and burying his head in his hands. You could see he felt uneasy having to deliver this news, given previous tensions he’d had with Phil.
“Looking at Phil’s face, he believed he was going out anyway. He had an expression of acceptance across his face suggesting he knew in his heart that he was leaving. Phil really wanted to get through to the final, he’s a competitive man at heart. You can see he was really gutted and Paul was squirming having to make that announcement. When Phil was being interviewed, you saw him make a series of chin thrusts, this suggests that he may have internal anger towards the decision of him having to leave. There’s underlying tension there that suggests Phil feels he has been stitched up.”
Darren said Myleene kept her ‘distance’ from Jordan and Fatima, who formed an ‘alliance’. He said: “Jordan has a strong rapport with Fatima, when the announcement of the final two was made, the two were standing close together. Jordan was seen giving her a hug of reassurance, while Myleene appeared quite separate judging by the distance between them - this suggests there was an alliance between Jordan and Fatima that has developed over the series. Jordan has been open and honest with his body language throughout this process and it’s interesting how Fatima causing a few fireworks with her moral compass appears to have worked in her favour, especially with her bond with Jordan.
“Myleene at the stage didn’t appear to have the same rapport with them as these two have with each other. Fatima reached out to shake Jordan’s hand, on hearing he had made it through to the final two, she moved towards him and he towards her. Myleene, however, clasped on to clapping and made no gesture to move towards Jordan. This distance is a move made to create a barrier between a person and others, it suggests you’re avoiding putting yourself in a space which makes you feel uncomfortable, reinforcing the suggestion that Myleene didn’t have a great connection or rapport with Jordan or Fatima.
“When it was announced Myleene was the next one through, there were a few awkward beats. It was actually Myleene that initiated the hug with Fatima and it really wasn’t reciprocated, it was almost like a forced hug from Fatima. Distance was still visible between Myleene and Jordan and he made no congratulatory gesture, neither did she.”
He said Fatima tried to ‘mask her disappointment and embarrassment’ on exit, adding: “When Fatima was being interviewed by Ant and Dec, she pulled a fantastic example of a fake smile to mask what she was really feeling at that moment. She’s a competitive sportsperson, so there’s a feeling of disappointment and embarrassment that she hasn’t gone the whole way in the competition. We see a smile, but only half of her face is engaged, we only see a hint of crow's feet and we also see the classic hand-to-mouth gesture, where she lifts her hand up to rub her neck. It’s a pacifying gesture and one we do to self-soothe or reassure ourselves, as right then and there she was feeling a little exposed. She also kept her hands in her pockets as she spoke - this is a tell-tale sign towards someone’s emotional state. It often suggests discomfort and unease.
“Myleene was later announced as the winner and Jordan, following the result, held himself with great gravitas and great respect. He didn’t show any signs of envy, he showed great happiness and relief that the series was over and his expressions of congratulations to Myleene were completely genuine.”
