Sunday’s eliminated celeb said words she’d never uttered publicly – and Dylan Lewis broke down after being pushed to his limits.
Beauty queen Maria Thattil was the latest contestant booted from I’m A Celeb in Sunday night’s episode – prompting tears from some of her fellow contestants, who didn’t want to see her go.
“I’ve just lost my best friend in here … my sister,” said David, the one non-celebrity contestant competing this season, as he fled the camp in tears.
Thattil, 28, was 2020’s Miss Universe Australia and is also a model and social media influencer with more than 200,000 followers. She made headlines during her time on I’m A Celeb, revealing that she’s attracted to both men and women and had been “shamed” for it in the past.
After her elimination, Maria spoke about her chosen charity Minus18 and opened up about coming out on national television.
“I chose that charity because of what they do for kids from the LGBTIQA+ community. My brother’s gay and I also shared that I, myself … I‘ve actually never said the words in a sentence, I would always say, ‘I’m also attracted to women,’ or things like that, but I consider myself bisexual,” she said.
“And I‘ve never said it before. So this is the first time saying it out loud in this way. And it‘s taken 28 years to get rid of that shame and just admit that. No one deserves to live their life thinking that they don‘t deserve the same rights, dignities and freedoms because of who they love.”
Earlier in the episode, broadcaster Dylan Lewis faced his greatest fear – snakes – by spending an agonising 11 minutes in the underground Viper Pit, laying in a pitch-black coffin-sized box as more than 50 snakes were piled in.
Lewis broke down in tears as he was finally helped out of the box, overcome with emotion after facing his biggest fear.
“I was worried that my kids would be worried when they watch it,” he said after a hug from Dr. Chris Brown, revealing that he thought about his late brother while he was in the challenge. Earlier this season he’d opened up about the pain of losing his younger brother Quinn to suicide in 2007.
“I found strength … I found my brother‘s stillness. He was just connected to nature and earth, and had just a beautiful stillness. And I had him in my mind a lot when I was down there. He would have said, ‘You’re an idiot for doing that, but well done.’”
Meanwhile, fellow contestant Beau Ryan exposed several behind the scenes secrets from I’m A Celeb after dramatically quitting the show earlier this week.
The season filmed last September, but the wounds were clearly still fresh for rugby league footballer turned TV host Ryan, who had little positive to say about his experience in a series of candid radio interviews on Friday.
Ryan said he “hated” his time on I’m A Celeb and would never do it again, describing it as “trauma.”
He also revealed that he snuck an iPhone into camp and gave the show’s producers an ultimatum once he started to get hungry – provide more food or he’d walk out.
One possible reason for the bad mood: Ryan also revealed that, given he quit I’m A Celeb rather than get eliminated from the competition, he’d have $200,000 docked from the pay he was receiving to appear on the show. That’s a giant pay cut considering he confirmed he was less than five days from the finale when he made the decision to walk.
I’m A Celeb continues 7:30pm Monday on Ten.
Originally published as Maria eliminated from I’m A Celeb as Dylan Lewis breaks down after brutal challenge
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