Yahoo News Who is Dean McCullough? I'm a Celebrity star getting voted to do all the trials
Dean McCullough is a BBC Radio 1 presenter who is currently starring on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here.
Dean McCullough is the I'm a Celebrity star who keeps getting voted to do the Bushtucker trials.
The BBC Radio 1 DJ wasn't exaggerating ahead of his jungle stint when he said he was "terrified of everything".
"The more I think about being put in the ground with 50 snakes or getting those green fly things that bite poured over me – well there's just no point thinking about it, as otherwise I won’t get on the plane," the Northern Irish broadcaster admitted.
Immediately he caught the attention of I'm a Celebrity fans by calling Coleen Rooney "Wagatha Christie" when he met her for the first time.
Who is Dean McCullough?
McCullough first burst onto the reality TV scene with a 2013 Britain's Got Talent audition, where he was part of an all-male dance troupe called The Glambassadors.
His radio career started with McCullough volunteering at Wandsworth Radio. In 2018 he got a role at Gaydio before he covered for Clara Amfo on BBC Radio 1 in 2020. This ultimately paved the way for him to land his own job on the radio station.
He has been a permanent fixture on BBC Radio 1 DJ since 2021. While in the jungle, he's going to be pining for his job. "I will miss being away for so long, and I am going to miss my listeners," he admitted.
McCullough was back out on the reality TV scene last year when appearing on spin-off show Big Brother: Late and Live, and has recently appeared on Strictly: It Takes Two.
Bushtucker trials
McCullough has been in the firing line as viewers have been voting him into do all of the Bushtucker trials.
The radio star quit his first trial The Sinister Sarcophagus saying those infamous words: I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here. Seemingly he ended the trial because of sand. The radio 1 DJ had been locked in a sarcophagus-shaped box for the Egyptian-themed trial.
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What made it worse — and more amusing — was that McCullough had successfully answered a handful of the Egyptian questions after the trial was over. He knew that Agatha Christie's novel set in Egypt was Death on the Nile, for instance.
This meant he could have gone home with more stars for camp. However, he had chosen to end the trial and walked away with just two stars for camp.
The following day he was voted to do the next trial Drown in the Dumps with GK Barry. While there were two of them taking part, they ended up with zero stars after GK Barry failed to unlock any of the padlocks underwater to release the stars.
Disappointing Ant and Dec
Talking on I'm a Celebrity's spin-off show Unpacked, Ant & Dec said they were disappointed that MCullough had said those get out of jail card free words before really showing off all elements of the Bushtucker trial.
"We are genuinely disappointed because you are prepared to do the whole trial and you want to see the whole thing," Dec said.
Ant said: "That’s why we continued to ask him some questions after because we were really enjoying it."
Dec jested: "But on the other side we’re like 'oh a bit of an early finish, let’s get out and get a suntan.'"
Dean McCullough fun facts
Phobias: I am terrified of everything – snakes, green flies, being suspended off a cliff – it’s all torturous. Don’t tell Ant & Dec but I don’t like being confined in tight spaces either!
Biggest misconception you want to dispel in the jungle? Nothing, but I haven’t drunk for four years and I am very happy to fly the flag for young people who don’t drink. I am happy to show how I do still go raving.
Role in camp: A friendly shoulder to cry on and bringing some positive vibes to proceedings. I’m also happy to be the camp cleaner every day.
Aside from family, what will you miss the most whilst in camp: Music. Playing music is what I love to do and I get so much pleasure out of it.
Best & worst attributes: I’d like to think I will bring lots of good vibes. Worst? I am known to wake up in the middle of the night.
I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here airs on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
