Jill Scott parties with Matt Hancock, Zara Tindall and Boy George at I’m A Celeb wrap

Jill Scott looked sensational as she swapped her jungle gilet for a jumpsuit at the I’m A Celebrity wrap party in Queensland, Australia on Monday night. 

The former Lioness, 35, roared to victory on Sunday night after beating politician Matt Hancock, 44, and Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner, 23, in the grand finale of the ITV1 show, which was watched by 11.5 million viewers.

After receiving a hero’s welcome and a raucous campmates reunion when she returned to civilisation at the Marriott hotel, the sports star admitted she spent the day bathing in order to remove the jungle stench. 

After a pamper day, Jill was glammed up and ready to let loose as she joined the likes of Matt Hancock, Zara Tindall and Boy George for the show’s wrap party at their hotel. 

Jill looked effortlessly chic as she donned a one-shouldered black jumpsuit that she paired with sensible yet stylish white trainers. 

The sports star swept her brunette locks back into a neat high ponytail and opted for a glam makeup look. She completed the look with a pair of small gold hopped earrings and a selection of dainty charm bracelets. 

Jill’s fiancée Shelly Unitt also made a glamorous arrival to the party, donning a pair of red sequinned trousers as she chatted away to Mike Tindall.

The former rugby player showcased his post-jungle glow up as he donned a vibrant Hawaiian style T-shirt. 

His wife Zara was also in attendance, with the Queen’s granddaughter opting for an emerald green mini dress that highlighted her tanned and toned pins.  

MP Matt, who finished in third place, seemed in high spirits as he strutted into the afterparty with his girlfriend Gina Coladangelo by his side in a fitted white jumpsuit. 

The denim one-piece featured a halter neckline with a racy zip down the bodice and flared trouser hems to highlight her slender curves. 

Scarlette Douglas was dressed to impress as she headed to the hotel in a vibrant blue ensemble. The A Place In The Sun presenter opted for high-waisted leather look trousers that she teamed with a corset top.  

The party came after Jill was crowned Queen Of The Jungle during Sunday’s finale and arrived in style at the hotel in the back of a gold Hummer limousine. 

The 2022 I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! final attracted a huge peak audience of 11.5 million viewers and a 59 percent share of viewing – the highest peak audience of the year for an entertainment show, on any channel.

With an average of 10.1 million fans tuning in, it was up by 3.6 million viewers on the audience to last year’s final and the highest ratings since 2018.

After her victory, Jill proudly held up her flower crown as she entered the hotel alongside Shelly, before embracing her campmates who had gathered in the lobby to greet her.  

Runners up Owen and Matt proved there were no hard feelings – being the first to run over and embrace the footballer.

The trio became firm friends after spending three days alone together in the Australian jungle and undergoing gruesome final Bushtucker trials to win lavish final meals in camp. 

Jill was left gobsmacked after she was crowned Queen of the Jungle, beating Owen who came in second place. 

Speaking about her victory on Monday’s Good Morning Britain, Jill mused: ‘Winning the Euros has to be up there with the best moments of my life, but this hasn’t sunk in!

‘It was tough at times but that “cyclone” challenge was like being a kid again. I tried to make the most of an incredible experience really.’ 

Her first priority after leaving the jungle was one of basic hygiene, as she quipped: ‘It’s taken two showers and two baths just to smell half-decent!’. She added that she doesn’t have any plans for what she will do next with her career. 

As campmates were not allowed any information from or contact with the outside world, Jill revealed she was excited to catch up on England’s progress in the World Cup. 

She said: ‘I have missed the World Cup so much. Me and Owen were begging for the scores and they kept saying “we can’t tell you”! I think they’re going to be fine against Wales. I have every confidence. I’m a massive Phil Foden fan!’ 

During the finale, Mike Tindall did the honours of placing the floral crown on Jill’s head as she sat triumphantly on her wooden throne before hugging her fiancée on the bridge.

After it was revealed 12million votes had been cast, an emotional Jill said: ‘I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it. I think I’m going to owe my grandma a lot of money for the 12million votes! I don’t think there should be one winner, we’re all winners.’ 

Ahead of her coronation, Jill said she was happy to be sat with her best friend, Owen, after the pair connected during their time on the show.

She said: ‘If Owen was to win King of the Jungle or if I was to win Queen of the Jungle, there’s no one I would rather be sat here with so today is just going to be a great day regardless.’

The Lioness said being part of a team her entire career held her in good stead for jungle life.

‘I always say that’s why kids need to go into sport, it’s not about going in at the highest level or anything like that. It’s what you learn through sport, winning, losing, hard work being a good person and you don’t know how you’re going to react to rats and heights but having all those playing for incredible teams equipped me well for the jungle,’ she explained. 

She tried to be on her best behaviour in the jungle, knowing that her family at home would be watching, saying: ‘I was trying to tone it down at first because I was like Jill, you’re live on ITV, your grandma’s watching, your nephews, your niece but then as it went on you just forgot you were on a TV show.’

She was the only woman left in camp for eight days but says there was no need for her to keep the likes of Matt Hancock and Mike Tindall in check.

Jill told Ant and Dec: ‘I never thought of it like that, I didn’t. They were so welcoming. Obviously I’m a bit of a tomboy anyway playing football. They weren’t like ‘oh, you sit down, and I’ll get the logs’, I still had to get the water, the logs, the clean out the dunny. No, I never felt like that I never did.’

She was met at the red bridge by fiancée Shelly Unitt, who embraced the champion with a big hug after the engaged couple spent over a month apart.

Jill’s victory caps off a momentous year for the star after she played in the winning Euros team this summer.

The Lionesses were crowned 2022 champions in August when they defeated eight-times champions Germany to secure England’s first trophy since 1966.

When asked ahead of her jungle stint how she felt about the prospect of winning the title, Jill said: ‘I don’t know yet, it could go either way. Maybe it could be the best year of my life, but the Euros has decided that for me already.

‘Tomorrow is never guaranteed so I’m just always willing to give it my all for that day.

‘So, I haven’t thought too far ahead about winning, I just want to go in there and no matter what the outcome is just kind of make my family proud.’

After living the experience, an emotional Jill said during Sunday night’s show that she was overwhelmed to have made the final.

Talking in the Bush Telegraph, she said: ‘When I first stepped into the jungle and looked around at all of the celebrities, no way was I getting anywhere near that final. To be part of the final three with Owen and Matt, God, it just means the world, it really does.’

Jill ended her playing career with England’s Euro triumph and said her next aim was to develop her passion for coaching.

Following her success in the I’m A Celeb jungle and rise in her profile, it’s been said the star is eyeing up a presenting slot on The One Show and to follow in the footsteps of former Arsenal footballer Alex Scott.

During her time in camp, Jill completed several Bushtucker trials, including Critty Critty Fang Fang, Scareground, and Speak Uneasy, where she drank the likes of blended cockroaches while competing for stars alongside Mike Tindall.

She became a much-loved member of the show with comedian Seann Walsh praising her wit and funny one-liners, which he said could earn her a spot on a show like Mock the Week.

Jill also formed a close friendship with fellow finalist Owen and wasn’t afraid to tease Matt Hancock about failing to adhere to his own Covid guidance during the pandemic.

The star became a fan favourite with her unique dance moves and carefree nature and some viewers are now calling the Sunderland-born contestant the nation’s sweetheart.

Following the result, soap actor Owen was pleased for his co-star and claimed that no-one deserved the victory more before running off to be hugged by his mum Polly.

He said: ‘I’m so gassed for Jill, I think everyone agrees. No one deserves it more than Jill!’

During Sunday’s show, Jill, Matt, and Owen endured the final Bushtucker trial of the series to win a banquet in camp.

Taking on the challenge of Rat Race, Jill was forced to lie in a box that filled up with the rodents, which she admitted to hating, as well as cockroaches and mealworms.

She won all five stars up for grabs, which earned the remaining camp mates their starters.

Matt and Owen also won a full set of stars in their respective challenges, Flood Your Face and Bushtucker Bonanza.

On Saturday night, Mike Tindall narrowly missed out on the final after failing to receive enough votes to compete in Celebrity Cyclone.

Jill takes the title from last year’s winner, Emmerdale actor Danny Miller, who was King of the Castle in Wales.

Podcaster Giovanna Fletcher won the show in 2020 and EastEnders star Jacqueline was voted Queen of the Jungle during the last series held in Australia before the pandemic.

He defied all expectations in making the grand final and after his exit, Matt admitted he decided to enter the jungle because he wanted to show the ‘lighter side’ to his personality. 

Upon leaving the Australian jungle, Matt was reunited with his girlfriend Gina Coladangelo and the pair shared a close embrace and kiss on the iconic bridge.

As they hugged, an overwhelmed Matt was heard saying ‘I love you so much’ to his partner, who travelled more than 9,000 miles to greet the Tory MP.

Matt lasted an impressive 23 days in the jungle, and took part in his final gruesome Bushtucker Trial before his exit in the final – narrowly missing being crowned as Jungle King.

During his jungle stint, he served as Camp Leader and was voted to do six consecutive trials by the public, including a gruesome eating trial alongside Boy George.

And after his exit, he spoke to hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly about his time in the jungle, saying he decided to join the show because he wanted to know what he was like as a ‘person’.

‘I just wanted to show what I’m like as a person. Lots of people come to me with pre-conceived ideas for obvious reasons, but I just wanted to be myself,’ he said.

‘Politicians as a whole, we don’t come across as human enough. This is an extreme way of doing that.’

‘People think they know me, but they don’t. They know Matt Hancock from the TV and the media,’ he added. 

Reflecting on his time in the jungle over a glass of champagne, Matt also said he doesn’t think that politicians come across as ‘human’, saying he wanted to prove otherwise.

He told Ant and Dec: ‘I just wanted to show what I’m like as a person. Lots of people come to me with preconceived ideas for obvious reasons and I just wanted to to be myself. I strongly believe that politicians as a whole don’t come across as human.’ 

Speaking about the controversy surrounding his arrival, Matt admitted he was ‘nervous’ to walk into the jungle and meet the other celebrities.

He said: ‘When I first walked in, there was just Seann, and we got slightly giddy. He makes everyone look good as he laughs at everyone’s jokes. When we walked into main camp and discovered some of the existing dynamics that was tough.’

During the show, Matt was famously questioned by ITV newsreader Charlene White over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and how he broke his own social distancing guidelines when he was caught having an affair with aide Gina Coladangelo.

But Matt said he was ‘grateful’ to his fellow campmates for being able to have ‘grown-up conversations’ despite their strong feelings, and admitted they also had a number of ‘important’ conversations about politics and his dyslexia.

He said: ‘We managed to talk about some important things, not just politics narrowly but dyslexia, especially with Jill and George about growing up gay, all sorts of interesting conversations.’

He added: ‘Some of those grillings were really enjoyable and a release, because I could say exactly what I thought, but some were really emotional. 

‘I feel it, but what I was able to do and what I was grateful for is that we had really grown-up conversations about it. We had strong feelings but there wasn’t any aggro.’

Matt also admitted he was well-aware that his entrance in the jungle was seen as controversial, but said he wanted to show the ‘lighter side’ to his personality. 

‘I know it was controversial me coming here, I know people said people in your position shouldn’t put themselves in embarrassing situations,’ he explained.

‘There is a lighter side to everyone’s personality. I went in clear I was going to be totally myself, as if the cameras weren’t on.’ 

When asked who he wants to win I’m A Celebrity, Matt said it was an ‘impossible’ question, before saying he wanted Jill to win. 

Lionness Jill and Hollyoaks actor Owen then joined hosts Ant and Dec to reflect on their time in the jungle before the ultimate winner was revealed.

Radio DJ Chris Moyles famously teased Owen by making up stories about his life during the jungle after realising Owen didn’t know who he was, and Ant and Dec quizzed Owen about the amusing moments.

But a shocked Owen admitted he wasn’t aware that Chris had made up any tales, sharing his complete surprise and asking a sheepish Jill whether she knew, to which she admitted that she did.

Reflecting on meeting huge stars in the jungle, Owen admitted he found it difficult not to ‘compare’ himself with everybody around him. 

‘There were a lot of big characters, I was at the beginning of my journey, and I was comparing myself, but I can’t do that and I’ve got to live my own journey. Realising that has made me comfortable in myself,’ he said. 

When asked what being crowned King of the Jungle would mean to him, Owen sweetly said: ‘This girl is a superstar, she’s a sweet, sweet soul. Seeing her crowned would win it for me, honestly.’

Despite his jokes on Owen, Chris Moyles gushed over the actor as all the former campmates shared their views on who should be crowned King or Queen of the Jungle. 

 ‘Little Owen, he has been brilliant, I think he will be so blown away and grateful to be King of the Jungle,’ Chris said.

Meanwhile, Babatunde Aleshe said of Jill: ‘Jill is one of the best people I’ve met in my entire life, I love that woman, she’s fantastic.’

Speaking about Jill before her crowning, Mike added: ‘Jill should win because she’s the most genuine person in there, she’s one of the nicest and most infectious people I’ve met.’

But it was Jill who was crowned as the 2022 Queen of the Jungle after around 12million public votes – most of which went to the former footballer – and after her victory, Owen admitted he was over the moon for her. 

He said: ‘I’m so gassed for Jill, I think everyone agrees, nobody deserves it more than Jill!’

A thrilled Jill was presented with her crown by her former campmate Mike, but she admitted that they had all been a ‘team’ and there shouldn’t just be one winner as she gushed over her campmates.

Earlier in Sunday’s grand finale episode, Matt was forced to face one last gruelling challenge before finding out who will be crowned Jungle King or Queen.

The former Health Secretary, 44, was joined by fellow finalists Jill Scott and Owen Warner in taking part in their individual final Bushtucker Trials.

For the first time in the show’s history, the stars were forced to compete for stars in front of their fellow campmates in the final, which producers hope will add increased tension among the finalists.

They were each forced to take on a gruesome challenge to win an epic final meal together in camp, consisting of a three-course banquet with a starter, main, and dessert.

But it proved no easy feat as they had to either take on Flood Your Face, Bushtucker Bonanza, a second instalment of the show’s iconic eating trial, or Rat Race, which featured thousands of bugs in a box.

And unlucky Matt was chosen for the dreaded Flood Your Face trial, where he had to have his head submerged in a clear container filled with water as critters crawled over his face.

Explaining the trial, Declan Donnelly said: ‘You’ll sit in here with your head in the tank which will fill with water. You’ll have a snorkel to breathe through and you’ll stay in there for five minutes. 

‘You’ll win a star for each minute you endure. It’s pretty straightforward, apart from the fact that this is a Bushtucker Trial so there will be some surprises along the way in that five minutes.’

Meanwhile, Ant McPartlin added: ‘The first three stars are for your three desserts, the fourth is for your drink and the fifth is for your treat.’

As Matt’s tank began to fill up with water, various terrifying critters were also added to the box, including eels, yabbies and water spiders.

The gruesome trial saw a frog sit on top of Matt’s head while a massive spider also crawled over his face in one very scary moment.

Jill encouraged him: ‘Well in Matt, you’re doing great!’ 

Although Matt looked very uneasy at moments, he bravely gave his fellow finalists and hosts Ant and Dec a thumbs-up as he braved the trial.

The Tory MP managed to secure all of his stars during the five-minute challenge, adding to the epic feast for himself and his fellow finalists back in main camp.

Owen, who has complained about his hunger during the series, took on the dreaded final eating trial, while Jill braved Rat Race – and they both won all their stars.

Earlier in Sunday’s episode, Matt had shared his shock that he had made it to the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! final alongside Owen and Jill.

He admitted he was thrilled to become a finalist after Mike Tindall was the eighth celebrity to be eliminated from the Aussie jungle in Saturday’s episode.

The politician said it was ‘unreal’ and he was ‘so grateful’ to have made it down to the last three as he joined Hollyoaks star Owen and Lionness Jill in voicing their shock.

Speaking in the Bush Telegraph after Mike’s exit, Matt said: ‘I can’t believe I’m in the final. It’s brilliant… I’m just so grateful.’

Meanwhile, Owen, 23, said: ‘I’m in the final baby! What is going on? I don’t know what to say, I don’t know what to think… I want to speak to my mum.’

After waving Mike off, the finalists all shared a group hug as they celebrated making it into the 2022 final.

Matt said: ‘That is unreal!’

While a shocked Jill, 35, added: ‘I need to just sit down.’

In the Bush Telegraph, former footballer Jill admitted she never thought she would make it ‘anywhere near’ the final after seeing which celebrities were in camp.

‘When I first stepped into the jungle and looked around at all of the celebrities, no way am I getting anywhere near that final,’ she said.

‘To be part of the final three with Owen and Matt, god, it just means the world, it really does.’

Ahead of their Bushtucker Trials, Matt said he was ‘delighted’ to be in the final, while Jill said she was still ‘in shock’ over making it so far in the contest.

Dec said: ‘Congratulations on making it to the final.’

A shocked Jill replied: ‘Just in shock to be honest. I can’t believe we’re in the final, I’ve watched it since being a little kid. I’m still in shock to be honest.’

While Owen said: ‘It feels a little bit mad to be honest.’

And Matt added: ‘I can’t believe it. I’m just delighted. I’m very grateful.’