I’m A Celebrity pulls in biggest final audience since 2018 as Jill Scott wins

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! has pulled in its biggest final audience since 2018 as Jill Scott was crowned the Queen of the Jungle.

The concluding show of the series attracted a huge peak audience of 11.5 million viewers – a 59% share of viewing – the highest of the year for an entertainment programme on any channel.

It averaged 10.1 million, a 53% share, across the show – making it the highest rating final since 2018, and up by 3.6 million viewers on the audience to last year’s final.

Woohoo! I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! has pulled in its biggest final audience since 2018 as Jill Scott was crowned the Queen of the Jungle

Based on seven-day consolidated data, the series averaged 11.1 million viewers, across platforms, with the final date due on December 5th.

With ITV1’s coverage of England v USA in the FIFA World Cup on Friday, and the I’m A Celebrity final on Sunday night, the channel has recorded its highest weekly viewing share in 20 years, with a 30% viewing across the week.

In 2018, Harry Redknapp was crowned King of the Jungle and was joined by runner-up Emily Atack and third placed John Barrowman in the final.

Jill roared to victory as she was crowned Queen of the Jungle after winning I’m A Celebrity during Sunday’s finale.

Winner! The sports star, 35, beat politician Matt Hancock, 44, and Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner, 23, in the grand final on Sunday evening after surviving 23 days in the Australian camp

The former Lioness, 35, beat politician Matt Hancock, 44, and Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner, 23, in the grand final on Sunday evening after surviving 23 days in the Australian camp. 

After congratulating the former midfielder on her win, Mike Tindall did the honours in placing the floral crown on Jill’s head as she sat triumphantly on the wooden throne before she embraced her fiancée Shelly Unitt on the bridge.

Following her coronation, after 12million viewers voted, an emotional Jill, who broke down in tears, said: ‘I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it. I think I’m going to owe my grandma a lot of money for the 12 million votes! I don’t think there should be one winner, we’re all winners.’

Ahead of her crowning moment, Jill said she was happy to be sat with her best friend, Owen, after the pair connected during their time on the show.

Celebrations! It attracted a huge peak audience of 11.5 million viewers - a 59% share of viewing - the highest of the year for an entertainment programme on any channel (Jill, centre, pictured with Ant, left, and Dec, right)

Celebrations! It attracted a huge peak audience of 11.5 million viewers – a 59% share of viewing – the highest of the year for an entertainment programme on any channel (Jill, centre, pictured with Ant, left, and Dec, right)

She said: ‘If Owen was to win King of the Jungle or if I was to win Queen of the Jungle, there’s no one I would rather be sat here with so today is just going to be a great day regardless.’

The Lioness said being part of a team her entire career held her in good stead for jungle life.

‘I always say that’s why kids need to go into sport, it’s not about going in at the highest level or anything like that. 

‘It’s what you learn through sport, winning, losing, hard work being a good person and you don’t know how you’re going to react to rats and heights but having all those playing for incredible teams equipped me well for the jungle,’ she explained.

She tried to be on her best behaviour in the jungle, knowing that her family at home would be watching, saying: ‘I was trying to tone it down at first because I was like Jill, you’re live on ITV, your grandma’s watching, your nephews, your niece but then as it went on you just forgot you were on a TV show.’

She was the only woman left in camp for eight days but says there was no need for her to keep the likes of Matt Hancock and Mike Tindall in check.

Jill told Ant and Dec: ‘I never thought of it like that, I didn’t. They were so welcoming. Obviously I’m a bit of a tomboy anyway playing football. They weren’t like ‘oh, you sit down, and I’ll get the logs’, I still had to get the water, the logs, the clean out the dunny. No, I never felt like that I never did.’

She was met at the red bridge by fiancée Shelly Unitt, who embraced the champion with a big hug after the engaged couple spent over a month apart.

Throwback: In 2018, Harry Redknapp (centre) was crowned King of the Jungle and was joined by runner-up Emily Atack and third placed John Barrowman (right) in the final

Throwback: In 2018, Harry Redknapp (centre) was crowned King of the Jungle and was joined by runner-up Emily Atack and third placed John Barrowman (right) in the final

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