Former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! star Amy Willerton has spoken out amid the backlash against reality stars and influencers who travelled to Dubai to escape lockdown, claiming that a number of famous faces are living it up in the UAE hotspot while “pretending they’re at home”.
The 28-year-old model, who dated Joey Essex after their stint together in the jungle, moved to Dubai permanently last year and recently spoke out about the hordes of celebs who have flocked there in the last few months.
After being asked about the scandal during an Instagram Q&A, Amy revealed that some social media stars are lying about their whereabouts.
She said, “OK, I have a lot to say about this... some of it which I probably shouldn't say. But I'm a big believer in owning your truth, so I’m gonna talk.
“I'm here in Dubai, I see a lot of people, who are on social media, pretending they're at home. They put up the Netflix, they say ‘I’m at home’, you know, ‘I’m in it with you’ and they’re not – they’re here.
“Remember, smoke and mirrors, OK? Social media is not real. It’s a glimpse. It’s not that person’s life.”
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All the I'm A Celebrity winners EVER (slider)
1 of 202002: Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn was the first ever winner of I'm A Celeb back in 2002. He had a dramatic fall from grace in 2016 when he was sacked after 49 years working for the BBC, for failing to co-operate with the Jimmy Savile inquiry. He has since returned to the BBC and also hosts a podcast with Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson called Ricky and Tony's Pop Detectives.
2 of 202003: Phil Tufnell
Since winning I'm A Celeb in 2003, Tuffers had a long-running stint as team captain on A Question of Sport from 2008 until earlier this year. He also competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2009 and regularly appears on Test Match Special.
3 of 202004: Kerry Katona
What hasn't Kerry been up to since winning the show in 2004? After starring in a series of fly-on-the-wall reality shows called Kerry Katona: Crazy in Love, Kerry Katona: Whole Again and Kerry Katona: What's the Problem?, she's appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and Celebs Go Dating. Kerry also briefly rejoined Atomic Kitten in 2012.
4 of 202004: Joe Pasquale
I'm A Celeb viewers were treated to not one but two series in 2004, with comedian Joe Pasquale inheriting the crown from Kerry Katona. These days, he continues to tour across the UK with his stand-up comedy shows. He also took part in the 2016 series of Tonight At The London Palladium on ITV and is the voice of Underdog, the cartoon dog mascot of National Accident Helpline.
5 of 202005: Carol Thatcher
The journalist and author lives in Switzerland with her partner Marco Grass. In 2016, Carol blocked a proposed statue of her late mother, the former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, because the sculptor had neglected to include the Baroness' key accessory: her handbag. This, among other things has driven a deep wedge between Carol and her twin brother Denis Thatcher.
6 of 202006: Matt Willis
After being crowned King of the Jungle in 2006, Matt and his Busted bandmate James Bourne formed a supergroup with McFly - brilliantly called McBusted. Matt and James then had a word with Charlie Simpson and got the band back together taking Busted back on tour with the original line-up, and releasing the song Coming Home. He's also starred in EastEnders and Birds Of A Feather. Currently, Matt is touring the UK in a production of the musical Waitress.
7 of 202007: Christopher Biggins
After winning I'm A Celeb in 2007, actor Christopher Biggins won Celebrity Come Dine With Me in 2009, took part in Celebrity MasterChef in 2014 and Celebrity Big Brother in 2016. Biggins continues to work in pantomimes and received the Lifetime Achievement award at The Great British Pantomime Awards in 2017.
8 of 202008: Joe Swash
Cheeky chap Joe Swash swapped EastEnders for the jungle and won the show in 2008. Since then, he's been all over TV and landed a job as host of the spin-off I'm A Celebrity: Extra Camp in 2009. Last year, he won Dancing On Ice and regularly pops up on daytime TV faves This Morning and Loose Women. He got engaged to 2010 Jungle Queen Stacey Solomon in 2019 and has also welcomed two children with her.
9 of 202009: Gino D'Acampo
The nation fell in love with Gino in 2009. Since winning the show, Gino is a regular fixture on TV screens from This Morning to Celebrity Juice and his Gino, Gordon and Fred shows with Gordon Ramsey and Fred Siriex.
10 of 202010: Stacey Solomon
After showing off her bubbly personality on The X Factor, Stacey Solomon entered the jungle and won the show in 2010. Since then, she's been a regular panelist on Loose Women, brought out her own book, welcomed two children and gotten engaged to Joe Swash.
11 of 202011: Dougie Poynter
McFly guitarist Dougie Poynter was crowned King of the Jungle ahead of TOWIE's Mark Wright in 2011. Since winning the crown, he's become a model and has created a new band, INK. He's still part of McFly though and regularly tours the country with the band.
12 of 202012: Charlie Brooks
EastEnders actress Charlie Brooks couldn't believe it when Ant and Dec announced her as the winner in 2012. She continued her role as Janine Butcher on the show until 2014 when she left to go to Paris and recently returned to Albert Square earlier this year after seven years away.
13 of 202013: Kian Egan
After 22 days in the jungle, Westlife star Kian Egan was crowned the King in 2013. He reunited with his Westlife bandmates in 2018 for an album and a tour. The boyband are also set to tour again next year and have a new album in the works.
14 of 202014: Carl 'Foggy' Fogarty
Retired world super bike racer Carl 'Foggy' Fogarty won over the viewing public in 2014. He hasn't been seen a huge amount since then, unfortunately.
15 of 202015: Vicky Pattison
Vicky Pattison showed a different side to her usual Geordie Shore antics, winning over the public and being crowned Queen of the Jungle in 2015. She since had a spot on the Loose Women panel, and even loved the jungle so much that she went back in for the Australian version in 2018, coming fourth place. She's since taken part in Celebrity MasterChef and Celebrity Coach Trip and also hosts her own podcast The Secret To.
16 of 202016: Scarlett Moffatt
Former Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt was crowned Queen of the Jungle after winning the show in 2016. She's since had plenty of presenting roles and had a regular spot on the I'm A Celeb spin-off show alongside Joe Swash until it was axed in 2019.
17 of 202017: Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo
Made In Chelsea star Georgia 'Toff' Toffolo was crowned 2017's Queen of the Jungle after beating Jamie Lomas. She's since presented backstage at the National Television Awards, been a reporter for This Morning, starred on Celebrity Gogglebox with campmate Stanley Johnson and released her own clothing collection.
18 of 202018: Harry Redknapp
Football manager Harry Redknapp was crowned King of the Jungle in 2018, beating actors Emily Atack and John Barrowman to the top spot. He won over viewers with his heart melting praise of wife of nearly 60 years, Sandra. Harry and Sandra appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox the following year. They were most recently seen when their son Jamie married his girlfriend Frida Andersson-Lourie.
19 of 202019: Jacqueline Jossa
Since winning I'm A Celeb in 2019, former EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa has launched a number of clothing collections with In The Style.
20 of 202020: Giovanna Fletcher
Giovanna Fletcher was crowned the first ever Queen of the Castle last year and recently announced that she was replacing Lily Allen in West End show 2:22 – A Ghost Story. She's also just released a new novel called Walking On Sunshine.
Amy went on to add that she feels sorry for celebs that have been in honest about being in Dubai when others are lying.
She continued, “I guess I do feel sorry in some ways for the influencers that came over here and actually just owned the fact they were here and are receiving death threats for it.
“I think that’s really quite sad when there’s a lot of people who are getting praise when they’re completely lying to you all. I’m not naming any names, I’m not like that, but I’m just saying, it’s not real.
“Because people have suffered, like, so much in this, I get why they’re angry, why people are so so upset.”
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Amy’s revelation comes after Love Island’s Laura Anderson was forced to delete negative comments on her Instagram after receiving backlash for being in Dubai and urged her followers, “If you don’t have anything nice to say please do not comment 🙏🏼.”
She added, “Guys I’m sorry to delete negative comments. Some have valid points but I can’t argue every day. I’ve so much to say but I can’t win on such a fragile topic or speak for anyone other than myself.”
Meanwhile, Olivia Attwood told fans to “unfollow or mute” influencers instead of leaving negative messages after hitting out at those who have travelled.
She said, “Yes, they might be doing stuff that annoys you, yes, they might be looking stupid, but ultimately, that’s going to be their own downfall so you don’t need to write them stupid messages, just unfollow. You know, everyone’s fighting something we don’t know about.”