I’m a Celebrity… South Africa draws to a close on Friday evening with the live final taking place in London after an incident between Jimmy Bullard and Adam Thomas

Thomas and Bullard were involved in a furious row in scenes broadcast earlier this week(Image: ITV)

After nearly three weeks of trials, tears and plenty of controversy, I’m a Celebrity… South Africa draws to a close on Friday evening, with the new ‘Jungle Legend’ set to be crowned.

The spin-off series was pre-recorded in South Africa last year but will culminate in a live finale in London tonight, with either former football manager Harry Redknapp, actor and comedian Craig Charles, Emmerdale star Adam Thomas or Olympic legend Sir Mo Farah set to take the series crown.

While the show has aired at 9pm throughout the series, a schedule shake-up will see the final kick off at the earlier time of 7.30pm.

It will be split into two parts, with the first running until 9pm, when Graham Norton’s new gameshow series The Neighbourhood will launch on ITV. The second part of I’m A Celeb will then get under way at 10pm.

Coronation Street star Beverley Callard will miss the live final on doctors’ advice, having been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.

However, all of the rest of the cast are set to appear, with former Premier League footballer Jimmy Bullard strongly hinting that he will in fact show up in London on Friday night, despite previously saying there was “no way” he would attend.

Bullard has found himself at the centre of controversy after being involved in a furious spat with Thomas during filming. In scenes that aired earlier this week, the former Wigan Athletic and Fulham midfielder abstained from participating in a trial in which he was paired up with the actor, eliminating both men and causing Thomas – who was later kept in the show by his campmates – to fly into a fury.

Storming over to confront Bullard, Thomas shouted: “Taking the f****** piss, are you taking the f****** piss? I’m in there getting covered in f****** ants.”

After Bullard described the Waterloo Road star’s outburst as “pathetic”, the former Soccer AM co-host was reported to be boycotting the final, with ITV bosses set to strip him of 20 per cent of his show fee as a result.

However, it now appears he has had a change of heart, saying on social media that “his version” of events will be told on Friday night and that he “can’t wait to see some” of his ex-campmates.

His U-turn comes as fellow contestants Sinitta and Craig Charles admitted that Bullard and Thomas’ furious row was far worse than what was eventually broadcast to millions of viewers earlier this week, with ITV refusing to show some of the footage.

In an Instagram post, the 62-year-old singer said: “It was a big argument, I can hear ‘c-word c-word’ shouting ‘c-word you c-word. What on earth is going on?”

Meanwhile Red Dwarf actor Charles described the argument as “deeply traumatic” and “unbroadcastable” as he appeared on This Morning on Friday.

“[ITV] watered down the Jimmy Bullard incident, they watered it down,” he said. “It was unbroadcastable as it was. It was deeply traumatic and it was really upsetting.

“Adam was so wound up. He was so aggressive. It looked like he was going to attack Jimmy. He was dropping F bombs and C bombs.”