Boy George went on I’m A Celeb ‘for the money’, says Big Brother star goddaughter
Boy George’s goddaughter says it is the money that got him on the show. (ITV/Getty)
Boy George’s goddaughter, Big Brother’s Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace, has said it was “the money that got him” on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.
The controversial Culture Club star and convicted abuser is reported to have signed the biggest monetary deal in I’m A Celeb history, with The Sun reporting he’s been paid more than £800,000.
Boy George’s appearance on the ITV reality show came months after he told Ant and Dec he would never enter the jungle, joking: “Unless you do a vegan version and then I’m in.”
But Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace believes the promise of a big pay day convinced him to change his mind.
“Of course it was the money that got him in there,” she told The Sun.
“He’s an absolute living legend and a diva, he’s not going to take a penny crumb.
“He’s an artist – reality stars are reality stars and that’s fine but people like him are one of a kind.”
Boy George has known Horgan-Wallace since she was a baby, and was best friends with her mother, Sophia Horgan, until she passed away in 2012 from breast cancer. Since then he has taken up the role as her godfather.
I’m A Celeb’s Boy George speaks for the first time on the show about going to jail for handcuffing male escort (ITV/I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here)
Boy George’s mega deal has come under criticism from the LGBTQ+ community and the wider public given his criminal past.
The singer was jailed over a decade ago after falsely imprisoning a male escort and beating him with a metal chain, but despite his past has enjoyed a lucrative reality TV career.
Boy George addressed the spent conviction when asked about it by fellow campmate Scarlette Douglas on I’m A Celeb.
“Handcuffs is true but the radiator bit wasn’t true, but thanks for bringing it up… Sometimes these things, they go into the ether and people keep saying then and they become folklore,” he said.
He also opened up about his time in prison, adding: “When I was there, I was like: ‘Right this isn’t my life. This isn’t what I want, I’m never coming back.’ I accepted it and I just thought I’ll take what happens.”
A spokesperson also told The Mirror: “George went to jail for four months willingly after openly confessing to false imprisonment during a psychotic break 15 years ago whilst in the midst of a well-documented drug problem.
“Not only has he been a pillar of society ever since, but he also remains sober to this day… Everyone is entitled to a second chance and George has certainly earned it.”
