Anthony Mundine sensationally quits ‘I’m a Celeb’ after ‘epic trial’

Anthony Mundine has announced his shock exit. Source: Facebook.com/ImaCelebrityAU

Anthony Mundine has sensationally quit the I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! jungle after just two weeks, admitting he was missing his family.

The controversial boxer, 42, has had a rocky time on the show, and broke down in tears just days ago as he recounted a personal story to viewers. Now, he has confirmed he decided to leave early after facing an “epic” trial

According to reports, he left hours after completing the famed Viper Room challenge, which will air on Thursday night on the Channel Ten reality show. Insisting it’s “all gravy baby” in his first social media post since leaving, he revealed why he had made the tough decision.

“Hey everyone! No doubt you have seen the headlines by now that I have left the jungle,” he wrote on Facebook. “It was an incredible experience but I miss my family and feel like I have accomplished everything I wanted to do.

“I did all but one of the trials (which I couldn’t compete in because of my foot) and met some great people and went out with a bang on an epic trial that you will see tonight. Thanks for supporting me on the show & make sure you watch me go out with a bang!! See you all back home.”

It means Mundine will now miss out on winning the $100,000 prize money for his chosen charity. He was the second person to walk out this series, after Aussie tennis bad boy Bernard Tomic became the first to ever leave the show early.

Read more: ‘Depressed’ Tomic sensationally quits ‘I’m a celebrity’

“I don’t need this now. I’ve never felt this bad in my life. This is the jungle. It’s so different. Not what I expected. I need some peace. This is going to knock me around for a week, two weeks. I’m just not coping. It’s too risky. I don’t know if I can do it. I’d like to speak to someone,” Tomic said in an on-camera confessional.

Meanwhile, it comes days after Mundine’s emotional outburst on camera, as he suggested that his fans were extremely important to him, but not for the reasons many people think.

“I actually saved this dude’s life,” he told fellow contestant Jackie Gillies on the show. The Real Housewives of Melbourne star asked Mundine what happened, which is where he decided to open up to the reality star.

Read more: Anthony Mundine’s emotional breakdown on ‘I’m A Celeb’

“He was in this very bad, depressed state. He had a 13-year-old girl and he was just about to hang himself,” he recalled. “And his daughter walks in, she went hysterical and said, ‘Dad! What are you doing? What are you doing?’ He said, ‘I need to go, I need to do this’ and she goes, ‘well what about Anthony Mundine?’”

The athlete held back tears as he was recounting the story. “And then he goes, ‘something clicked in me and said that’s true daughter. We’re gonna meet him.’”

Anthony said that after the man’s near-death experience, he made it his mission to meet his idol. The meeting happened and went on to be one of the biggest moments in both men’s lives.

“Because he always told her [his daughter] that he always wanted to meet me before he died,” he explained. “He said ‘your courage, your strength, helped me out of this dark place’ and that touched me.”

Tears continued to roll down Mundine’s face before he said, “I must be doing something right”.

Are you sad to see him leave the jungle?


With Facebook removing news sites from your feeds we ask that you sign up for Starts at 60’s emailers here. And to keep us on your wall, join some of our new Facebook groups and clubs:

Stories that matter
Emails delivered daily
Sign up