I’m A Celebrity campmate Barry McGuigan joined co-stars like Maura Higgins and Tulisa Contostavlos in a group trial on the ITV show recently, which aired on Tuesday night
I’m a Celeb: Barry McGuigan tells Maura Higgins to calm down
There appeared to be some tension during a trial on the latest episode of I’m A Celebrity, which saw all of this year’s campmates face insects together whilst on a bus.
Fright Bus opened Tuesday’s episode of the ITV show and saw the celebrities tasked with moving red tokens along a yellow pole whilst being covered in bugs from above. They were separated into smaller groups on the bus for the trial.
Former professional boxer Barry McGuigan, 63, was sat at the back of the vehicle with reality TV star Maura Higgins, 34, and singer Tulisa Contostavlos, 36. They were the final trio to take on the challenge, with them the last on the bus.
Barry remained relatively calm whilst being showered with insects, though Maura and Tulisa were both heard screaming as the likes of green ants fell on the three of them. Barry supported his co-stars during the trial but it’s been suggested that he was becoming frustrated at times.
As Maura expressed her discomfort whilst the red token was still in her section of the pole, Barry told her: “Scrape them off you, come on! Just scrape them off, that’s all.” Later, whilst working on his own part of the task, he said to her: “Shh, calm down.” After appearing to laugh, he reiterated: “Calm down, calm down, calm down.”
The scene attracted attention on X, formerly known as Twitter, with fans sharing their thoughts on the trio’s efforts. Many expressed sympathy for Barry – whose son Shane McGuigan is said to have briefly dated Maura in 2018 – over being sat in the middle of two vocal co-stars and some teased that there may have been tension brewing in the trial.
Alongside a laughing emoji, one fan wrote: “Tulisa and Maura were p***ing Barry right off on that bus.” Also amused, another viewer said in a post: “He was clearly trying to hold back from telling them to shut up and get on with it.”
Someone else teased: “Poor Barry. Stuck between Maura and Tulisa – man just wants to get done and get home.” Whilst a fourth person reacted to the recent scene: “Fair play to Barry staying so calm between Maura and Tulisa.”
“Poor Barry, stuck between Maura and Tulisa screaming like banshees! And he was so lovely doing more than his fair share of spinning the tokens,” one fan wrote. Another said in a post: “Barry literally going through hell there – stuck in between a screaming Tulisa and Maura … I feel for him.”
Others joked that it may have prompted Barry’s subsequent disappearance whilst out in the jungle with Tulisa. They headed to the stream together with pots and pans, but Barry ended up going ahead. Once she arrived at the spot, Tulisa was heard calling out for him, with her unsure of his whereabouts for a period. Barry soon reappeared though and Tulisa told him that he had gone too far into the jungle.
One fan wrote: “Wonder if Barry has gone home after being stuck on the bus between two screamers. Tulisa cant find him.” Reacting to the scene, another viewer teased: “Barry having to sit between Tulisa and Maura screaming their heads off. No wonder he decided to go missing.” Whilst a third commented: “Poor Barry trying to keep Maura and Tulisa calm … No wonder he f***ed off into the jungle.”
I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! airs every night at 9pm on ITV1, STV and ITVX. Companion show I’m A Celebrity…Unpacked airs live on ITV2 directly afterwards.
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