'I'm A Celeb': James Haskell disability comment sparks Ofcom complaints

I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! star James Haskell has been accused of mocking people with club foot after making a joke about the condition to his fellow campmates.

During Monday night’s episode, the former rugby union player began teasing ex-footballer and fellow campmate Ian Wright about his running skills, suggesting that “he’s completely lost the plot.”

The 34-year-old continued: “Look at that clubfoot. Go on then, expend that energy.”

Broadcasting authority Ofcom told Metro it had received 78 complaints over the remark.

Viewers took to social media to share their disappointment in Haskell’s wording, with one Twitter user writing: “This is totally unacceptable and he should apologise.”

Another added: “I'm sorry, but I'm really disgusted by James Haskell's comment about Clubfoot. Why is this acceptable?”

“Andrew says literally ANY little thing & Ian immediately jumps down his throat,” said one more. “Yet while James made a clearly offensive comment about clubfoot literally NO ONE said anything really? Double standards clearly.”

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“Absolutely disgusted that @jameshaskell is making fun of people with clubfoot,” a fourth added.

Club foot - also known as talipes - is a birth defect which results in a newborn's foot being rotated internally at the ankle. The soles of the feet often face each other meaning, as the infant grows, they are likely to walk on the side of their foot. In 50% of instances, it affects both feet.

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Haskell and Wright have already come under fire from fans after starting a row with Andrew Maxwell over a Bushtucker trial. The athletes were slammed for “bullying” the Irish comedian after he refused to do camp chores having won ten stars - and therefore, bagging ten meals - earlier that day.