I'm a Celebrity star Tony Bellew has revealed on the show why he stopped boxing – because it is a "brutal and dangerous sport."
The 41-year-old retired after being beaten in an eighth-round knockout by Oleksandr Usyk in November 2018 as they battled for the undisputed world cruiserweight title.
While he could have continued, Tony admitted he chose to walk away to protect his safety. Campmate and YouTuber Nella Rose asked Tony: “How come you retired from boxing?” during Monday's episode, 4 December.
Tony replied: “My body stopped me. It’s so dangerous. It’s brutal. Boxing is the most damaging sport in the world…a professional boxer, it’s estimated that he will get hit in the head 50,000 times a year… that’s going to catch up with me at some point.
"I can accept that, I knew it when I got into it… I know what I’m signing up for."
Tony, who shares four sons Corey, Cobey, Carter, and Carson with wife Rachael Robert, added that he's thankful he got out of the sport without serious injury.
He continued: “If tomorrow I go into a coma because of the punches I’ve taken, that’s on me. That’s no one else. I’m not suing no one; it ain’t their fault. I used to say to my wife, I’m going to get hurt at some point. She would know. You’ve got to accept.”
Tony was the new favourite to be crowned the king of the jungle, according to bookmakers.
‘’Tony Bellew has been an extremely popular campmate since entering the jungle, and the viewing public seem to have really taken to the scouse boxer. He was 12-1 only a matter of days ago, but he now heads our betting at 6-5 to be crowned this year’s king of the jungle,’’ said Coral’s Lewis Knowles."
It comes as Tony's wife revealed his oldest sons have been cheekily voting for their dad to take part in Bushtucker trials, as they "love to watch him suffer."
She said: "We've never watched any shows he's done but we're watching this. And the trials… I love watching him suffer! Ant plays the macho man, but he's a big softie. I bet he's more scared than he looks in the trials.
"In the snake trial, you could tell he was petrified and I'm sure he'll get a bit of ribbing for that when he gets out. But he's not a quitter. Joking aside, we're all very proud of him."
Tony managed to get nine out of 10 stars during his trial on Saturday night's episode, 2 December.
The boxer took part in the Eaten Alive challenge, which saw him squeeze himself into a mock reptile full of disgusting surprises in a bid to win meals for the camp.
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