I’m A Celeb’s Boy George grilled on prison time for assault conviction: ‘Thanks for bringing it up’
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 has spoken out for the first time since appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here about receiving prison time for assault and false imprisonment in 2009.
The singer, 61, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for attacking Norwegian model Audun Carlsen, after being found guilty of handcuffing him and beating him with a metal chain.
Boy George has finally mentioned the incident in the I‘m A Celeb jungle after campmate, A Place in the Sun presenter Scarlette Douglas, grilled him during Wednesday’s (16 November) episode.
After being asked by Douglas: “What happened with you BG and some guy in handcuffs and a radiator?” the singer seemed to deny some details of the story.
Boy George claimed: “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 them and they become folklore.”
He added that prison was “very boring”, and that while he was there he realised “this isn’t my life”.
“It was very boring. The clothes was quite similar to this.
“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.”
Boy George later added, alone on camera, that Douglas speaking about his court case in the camp was “inappropriate”.
“Scarlette blatantly talked about my court case. I thought it was inappropriate what she did, actually,” he said.
“And I thought I handled it really well as it’s a big sore point for me when people say things like that.”
The truth always comes out after a few drinks… (of fermented duck egg) #ImACeleb pic.twitter.com/pyWjVqpM8r— I'm A Celebrity… (@imacelebrity) November 11, 2022
Carlsen himself spoke out about Boy George’s casting in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here ahead of it airing, arguing that platforming him after the sentence “sends the wrong message”.
Carlsen told the Mirror: “I think giving him this sort of platform and a record fee sends the wrong message to survivors of violence and abuse and is plain wrong.”
Since the attack in 2007, Carlsen, now 43, claimed he has spent 10 years in therapy and has been diagnosed with PTSD.
“I still see the monster that he is every time I see him. He hasn’t changed,” he said.
“I’m not going to watch I’m a Celeb, and I love that show… when it gets scary he can say: ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here!’ I couldn’t do that when I was chained to his wall.”
A spokesperson for Boy George 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.”
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here continues on ITV on Thursday (17 November) at 9pm.
