English cricketer Andrew Flintoff has been crowned king of the South African jungle after winning Australia’s edition of “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!” Sunday night. His win against Aussie TV personality Chrissie Swan over public vote was a shock to him, as he wondered how an Englishman could ever beat a local favorite.

"An Englishman winning something Australian, it just doesn't happen, does it?" Flintoff said in a post-interview as quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald. He arrived at the jungle camp site in mid-February with no expectations and an open mind, not even thinking he could go so far in an Australian reality series with a cast dominated by familiar locals. He also revealed that he didn’t know anyone except for Merv Hughes and for the first few days he passively sat watching everyone like a live TV program until he told himself that he was part of the show too. He instantly became a favorite among the camp members and the audience, as throughout the show he persevered through every challenge -- eating rat’s tail covered in elephant manure and drinking fermented milk laced with cockroaches, among others, BBC stated.

The cricketer will see his 100,00 Australian dollars (£50,635) win donated to the McGrath Foundation, the charity of his own choosing. Like many viewers, Flintoff expected runner-up Swan to be crowned the winner, addressing that Swan was a wonderful lady and that he genuinely wanted her to win. “How is anyone going to beat her? She's like Wonder Woman, she's into everything,” he said of Swan. He continued expressing his shock over his triumph even until after his coronation.

Although I’m A Celebrity features more on gross challenges that could make one lose his appetite, Flintoff, 37, also discussed during the show his experiences with depression and how giving up alcohol changed his life, contributing to the thoughtful moments shared among camp mates. He revealed that he is now far better without alcohol since it didn’t help at all with his depression and that it just made him feel that he hit rock bottom.

Flintoff retired from professional cricket in September 2010. He, however, played for Lancashire in T20 Blast last year and Brisbane Heat in the Twenty20 Big Bash before serving his time in the South African jungle.

For your feedback/comments on the article, contact the writer at prewchatterly@gmail.com

RELATED STORIES