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Sonia Sharma

Myleene Klass becomes first ever I'm A Celebrity Legend after winning South Africa series

Myleene Klass has been crowned as the first ever winner of I'm A Celebrity South Africa.

The former Hear'Say popstar saw off competition from fellow finalists Diversity dancer Jordan Banjo, Olympic javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread and former England cricket captain Phil Tufnell during Friday's final. The 45-year-old presenter, known for her famous bikini shower scene during her original run in 2006 when she came second to musician Matt Willis, is the first 'I'm A Celebrity Legend'.

The spin-off show, which was pre-recorded, saw famous faces from previous seasons of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! compete. After her win, Geordie presenters Ant and Dec tweeted: "Here she is, our first ever I'm A Celebrity Legend… @KlassMyleene.

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"An amazing cast, an incredible adventure… and a fair bit of glugs, sweat and tears along the way. Thanks for joining us on our first ever #ImACeleb South Africaaaaa."

Myleene spoke about her children after being crowned queen of the jungle. She said: "I had a ball the first time. This time round, I'm a mum and that changes everything.

Myleene Klass wins I'm A Celebrity... South Africa (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

"You don't want to let your children down, you don't want to say something that will embarrass them. You don't want to bottle out of a trial."

Klass, who has two daughters over the age of 10, Hero and Ava, along with a son Apollo, born in 2019, added: "We sat down and had a big conversation about it as a family. Both of (my daughters) were just begging me to do it. I said to them I'll be as strong as I can be, I wanted to show them, and other little girls, keep walking through the fire. In the 16 years since I last did the jungle, I've really been tested and had to really hold (my) nerve."

She added that her children made her a necklace that she "held on" to during every trial while missing them "so much." Over the course of the episode, Klass beat runner-up Banjo during a final eating trial, which involved them facing a menu that included fermented eggs and mice tails.

Myleene also credited her fellow celebrities for keeping her in the competition after the vote by all the series contestants which eliminated Tufnell, 57. She said: "It's lovely to have the public vote of course the first time round. That gave me so much confidence the first time in my career.

"But the second time, being voted for by my peers who have seen what I've done in camp. In close quarters, who lived with me and done the trials with me. To have their acknowledgement and to have affirmation from them.

"Honestly, when they voted for me to stay in for the final three, I couldn't hold my tears back. I was so moved. That acknowledgement meant everything."

In third place was Whitbread, 62, who was knocked out by her fellow celebrities during the Critter Countdown trial. The Olympic athlete, Klass and Banjo had to guess when they hit six minutes while having their feet in green ant infested boxes, hands in hell holes full of cockroaches and crickets and heads in helmets containing snakes.

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