Ginge, whose real name is Morgan Burtwhistle, was brought up by his single mum, Michelle, in Salford
I’m a Celebrity star Angry Ginge(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
Angry Ginge’s mum has recalled his grandfather saying that he’ll ‘be a millionaire one day’ as she opened up about their life in Manchester as he continues to win hearts on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.
Ginge, whose real name is Morgan Burtwhistle, was brought up by his single mum, Michelle, alongside his sister on a council estate in Salford.
It was in his bedroom that he first started live-streaming himself playing football video games under the username Angryginge13. He’s now favourite to be crowned King of the Jungle having signed up for the ITV reality show this year.
“I never ever thought in a million years I’d ever be coming to Australia but to be coming for this reason as well…none of us can believe it,” Michelle had told the Mirror.
She has also inadvertently found herself centre stage when Ginge told millions of viewers of the sacrifices she made for him, and his older sister Tasha, while growing up.
He explained that she’d finish her first job, and “then go to her second job then go to her third job and then get home.” The 24-year-old added: “If she can do it then I can do this in the jungle, so that’s what keeps me going really.”
Michelle says that money was tight, and every broken boiler or unexpected bill landed squarely on her shoulders. To keep things afloat, she took whatever work she could find.
“I’ve done everything. I’ve worked in school kitchens. I’ve done cleaning. I’ve done residential care homes for the elderly. It was a very hard time,” she shared with the publication.
Ginge, whose real name is Morgan, has been popular among fans of the ITV reality show(Image: ITV/Shutterstock)
When Ginge was 18, Michelle was forced to sell the family home and move somewhere cheaper. He moved in with his Nana round the corner to ease the pressure. “He moved in with his Nan because I was struggling to pay the mortgage,” she explained.
“It was hard but he’s like, ‘mum, just do it. It’ll be fine. I’m with Nan. We’re only up the road. Everything will be all right.’ So that made me feel better.”
While Michelle worked every hour, her son was quietly starting the online career that would change both their lives. Not that she had a clue what was going on at first. “I’d never even heard of what he was doing before he started doing it…I couldn’t get my head around it,” she laughed.
His first stream back in 2020, when he was 19, peaked at just 40 viewers and earned £12.44. He almost quit. But when his beloved grandad – and Michelle’s dad – died of Covid in February 2021, it was that loss, and one particular memory, that pushed him to give it one last go.
“Morgan used to go to Blackpool every year at Easter for the weekend, and he remembered his granddad saying to someone that he was going to be a millionaire one day, because there’s no beating him at Monopoly,” she recalled. “I don’t know what reminded Morgan of my dad saying that, but then he went back online in the March, and the streaming took off again.”
Angry Gingle, real name Morgan Burtwistle, with his mum Michelle(Image: Courtesy of Angry Ginge)
But Michelle realised he had hit the big time when one of his broadcasts saw 85,000 people tune in, as well as football stars such as Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, who later became a friend. “One day he turned around and said to me ‘I’ve been invited to Wayne Rooney’s son’s christening!’ It was unreal as Wayne was his idol, and used to have posters of him on his wall.”
And she says that it was her dad that inspired his Angry Ginge name. “He used to call him Ginge, because he always used to laugh and joke with him, calling him a ginger-headed b******,” Michelle laughed.
But before he was Angry Ginge, he was a cheeky but hard-working schoolkid. “He had a few sneaky moments, but he was never really naughty, even in school, in fact he was even the head boy,” Michelle proudly recalled. “He got done for selling Lucozade a few times when he wasn’t supposed to…”
After previously counting every penny, things are now easier. “He doesn’t see me struggle now. He always says to me ‘ask me if you need anything.’ He’s really good like that,” Michelle shared.
And as the votes roll in for her son ahead of the I’m A Celeb final on Sunday (December 7), Michelle is still pinching herself at the public reaction. “It’s because he just comes across as himself,” she added. “He’s not trying to be anybody. He’s just a genuine person and caring, and that’s the way he’s always been.I am so proud of him.”