David Subritzky dropped a bomb on the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! camp when he revealed that he had been lying to his fellow contestants for days.
Posing as “The David”, a celebrity shoe designer with millions of online followers, the 26-year-old admits to TV WEEK that he was telling such outrageous lies he was sure one of the celebs was going to call him out.
“I honestly thought that the celebrities were going to be more questioning because I was telling them such farfetched lies, but they honestly believed every single thing I said,” he laughs.
At home, viewers were in on the ploy but David was afraid that going into the jungle as a non-celeb would earn him some serious backlash.
David’s true indentity was revealed to mixed reactions.
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Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, as he reveals: “I’ve had all good feedback so far, so it’s been nice. I thought I was going to get trolled to be honest!”
Though David claims it was fun and easy to deceive most of his co-contestants, there was one star that simply wasn’t buying it; Beau Ryan.
The NRL player turned Amazing Race host interrogated David before his true identity was revealed, then exploded over the “betrayal” and left the Gold Coast native feeling guilty about the ruse.
“I felt so guilty about tricking all the celebrities because when we did the affirmation circle and people were telling me I’m so hard working, I should be so proud of myself… and I’ve just been lying,” David admits to us now.
“They’re all pouring their heart out telling me that I’m an inspirational person, and I’m like, ‘I’m really not’. I’m just normal guy… I did feel bad about that.”
While most of the other contestants took the news well, David confesses that there was a shift in the way the celebs interacted with him in camp after his identity was revealed.
“I felt [the change] a little bit, but when you are on sleep deprived, food deprived, everything is so intensified. I did feel like it changed a little bit in camp,” he says.
In fact, David later confronted Beau over dinner after accusing the former NRL star of singling him out and excluding him when dishing out extra food.
Explaining the heated moment, David says that the interaction took him back to his high school days when sporty guys like Beau would bully him.
“I’ve grown up from when I was in high school… when I was younger, that was very intimidating for me, when the guys in school used to pick on me,” he recalls.
“When I felt like I had an issue last night, you know, I’m in a position now where I can communicate it properly and express my emotions and how I’m feeling. And Beau took it pretty well.”
David adds that communication is vital when you’re crammed in a camp 24/7 with a group of people you barely know, though he did worry about how Beau would react.
“Beau’s such a strong-headed character… but he definitely took it on board and was more aware moving forward.”
Tuesday night’s episode also saw the group of celebrities – and honorary celeb David – bond like never before as they shared the charities they were supporting in the jungle.
Emily Seebohm opened up about her experiences with eating disorders, while Dylan Lewis spoke about losing his brother to suicide.
David admits he’s grown past the bullying from his teen years.
(Instagram)But David, who is representing Pride Foundation Australia (PFA), admits that he wasn’t ready to share his own story with the group yet.
“I’ve personally have been attacked, living in Australia. I’ve been attacked with homophobic remarks,” he tells us.
“It’s been a long process and I’ve definitely struggled with finding myself… I just really wanted to spread more awareness on the LGBTQIA+ community and what they [PFA] .”
The out and proud star says that more representation of LGBTQIA+ people on TV is a great place to start, as it helps normalise diverse genders and sexualities.
Seeing people like him on TV can also help gay and questioning teens learn to love and accept themselves, because they can see “that it does get better”.
“To be given a platform where I can just spread positivity… it’s amazing.”
(Instagram)“The Instagram messages that I’ve received from parents about their children who have been in hiding for months because they’ve not been able to accept themselves, they’re just thanking me,” he says.
“To be given a platform where I can just spread positivity and let people know that they can be themselves and not feel hated, it’s amazing.”
He even told us that he will share more of his own story of self-acceptance in upcoming episodes, but wouldn’t say what details he spilled – you’ll just have to keep watching.
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website. Or call The Butterfly Foundation’s National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 or visit their website.
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