Adam was crowned King of the Jungle on I’m A Celebrity… South Africa, but was at the centre of several rows during his time on the ITV show
Danny has publicly backed his pal Adam(Image: Danny Miller Instagram)
Despite claiming both the King of the Jungle title and the ‘Ultimate Legend’ accolade on this series of I’m A Celebrity… South Africa, actor Adam Thomas, 37, found himself embroiled in a number of controversies during his stint on the ITV programme.
The Waterloo Road star was involved in a heated clash with former footballer Jimmy Bullard and had rows with ex-professional boxer David Haye. During a crucial trial where the losing pair faced being voted off, Jimmy Bullard withdrew, which in theory meant both he and Adam would have to exit the show.
Adam and Jimmy exchanged sharp words when Jimmy chose to pull out and abandon the trial, effectively cutting Adam’s time on the programme short — leaving his fellow campmates gobsmacked.
Adam from Salford also endured repeated run-ins with David, and later maintained that the former boxer’s remarks about his health and performance “broke” him. David has rejected these allegations, implying that Adam was “playing the victim card”.
Adam Thomas was involved in a lot of drama(Image: ITV)
Adam has received considerable backing from fellow co-star Gemma Collins throughout the dispute, as well as from his family, including his wife Caroline and brothers Scott and Ryan.
Now a former Emmerdale co-star has also come forward to defend him. Danny Miller, who portrays Aaron Dingle on the ITV soap, took to his Instagram page to speak of Adam’s ‘heart made of gold’, reports Lancs Live.
Writing ahead of Friday’s final (24 April), Danny, 35, said: “This lad is one of my best pals in the world. He has a giant heart, made of gold – and one of the nicest people you’d ever have the pleasure of meeting.
“He’s absolutely right, he has and always will have everyone’s best interests as a priority over his own. And no opinion, person or edit will ever convince me otherwise. I just hope everyone’s behind him to bring home the win tonight @imacelebrity.”
He continued: “The King To My Jungle @adamthomas21 and I absolutely love and admire everything about you. Stand tall, shoulders back and take the crown my brother.”
The touching tribute struck a chord with supporters, accumulating over 68,000 likes. One fan responded: “Ahhh lovely words Danny and love the bond. I mean two top guys, why would you not bond like you do.”
Another shared: “He’s done incredibly well. He was a legend to begin with but this has proved it even more!” While a third urged: “Well said Danny! Vote for Adam to win!”.
The duo appeared together in Emmerdale across two main stints, totalling approximately seven years of working alongside each other on screen.
Danny Miller as Aaron Dingle and Adam Thomas as Adam Barton on Emmerdale(Image: ITV)
Their partnership commenced in July 2009, when Adam joined the programme as Adam Barton. Danny, who had been portraying Aaron Dingle since November 2008, stayed until his initial departure in April 2012.
Danny rejoined the soap in August 2014 and the pair worked alongside one another until Adam Thomas departed the show on 2 January 2018. Within the soap’s plotlines, the two were firm friends, with Adam Barton even stepping in to help Aaron with the planning of his wedding to Robert Sugden back in 2017.
Away from the cameras, the duo share a genuine connection and have teamed up on a number of ventures together, including a celebrity edition of Release the Hounds in 2018 and the BFF Quiz on The Hit List in 2022.