Tennis champion Bernard Tomic sensationally quit I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! on Tuesday night after a whirlwind 48 hours.
Cast and crew did everything they could to make him stay in the jungle for a little bit longer, but the controversial 25-year-old had already made up his mind.
Alex Mavroidakis, executive producer of the series, told Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa this morning that Bernard had drafted a text three days before starting the show that he was pulling out.
“He told me – and I believe him – that he composed a text message three days before he got on the plane and that he’d changed his mind and didn’t want to do it. So he obviously wasn’t in the right head space at all,” Alex said.
He went on to mention that Bernard’s less-than-stellar performance at the Australian Open really affected him. “It was a wake-up call for him that he should really be in the Australian Open semi-finals,” Alex added.
The EP was quick to point out his frustrations with the sudden change of plans.
“Half of me is angry with him, he’s messed up a whole lot of plans we had in place and half of me wishes him all the best. He’s just confused at where he is in life. He has this freakish talent and he just wants to get back and play tennis,” Alex continued.
“I pushed very hard to keep him to stay because I believe he would have flourished. He didn’t go well in the first trial, he didn’t go well in the second trial and I just think he hated it. He really could have gone well.
It was after the first high-wire trial that Bernard first said he wanted to leave the show. After a visit from Alex and a psychologist, and soothing words of comfort from campmates Jackie Gillies and Josh Gibson, the crew thought he would be fine.
“We all thought he’s gotten over the hump he’s going to be fine,” recalled Alex. “And then in that live show, he’s back saying that’s it I’m going home. I used all my ammunition to get him to stay that one extra night and there was no talking him round. It just wasn’t for him. It’s hard.”
While Bernard went into the show wanting to change Australia’s perception of his hot-headed, cocky nature, did it actually work after just three days?
“I felt like the tide was slowly turning after that trial and there was a lot of sympathy going around for him about his childhood or lack of,” said Alex.
“But I can see what the public sentiments going to be, I know what he’s going to walk back into and what he’s going to cop and I feel sorry for the bloke. But hey if this is going to give him the kick up the ass he needs…”
