TV

I’m A Celeb fans praise ‘legend’ Jill Scott after she becomes first LGBTQ+ woman to win

Jill Scott wins I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here. (ITV)

Jill Scott wins I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here. (ITV)

Jill Scott has won over the public as she was crowned Queen of Jungle in last night’s (27 November) episode of I’m A Celebrity…. Get Me Out Of Here.

The former Lioness and Euro’s winner made history as the first LGBTQ+ woman to win and the second LGBTQ+ person after Christopher Biggins took the crown in 2007.

While Ant and Dec confirmed that the majority of the 12 million votes were for Scott, Hollyoaks star Owen Warner came as runner up, while Conservative MP Matt Hancock came in third place.

Following her victory, viewers finally got to see Scott and partner Shelley Unitt reunited on the bridge, and she made a short speech.

“I’m totally in shock to be honest, I don’t know why everybody voted but just a massive massive thank you and just so honoured to be the queen of the Jungle,” she said.

She also enjoyed a hotel reunion with her fellow campmates where they all rejoiced in her victory and sang their rendition of “don’t come back without stars” – referring to the stars contestants had to collect during challenges.

Of course Scott ended her final episode with more memorable moments, as viewers laughed at the innuendo in her final challenge where she had to use her tongue to spin and win the stars. Many gay jokes were made, and quite rightly so.

 

Beyond that, viewers were thrilled to see Scott win by such a landslide, with many writing about how groundbreaking this victory was.

Scott is not only the first LGBTQ+ woman to claim victory on the show, but has also worked to break down barriers in women’s football, and spoke about homophobia in the sport during her time in the jungle.

Olympic winning hockey player, Sam Quek, wrote: “Never in doubt for me, as lovely and genuine on camera as she is in real life! You go girl, absolutely smashed it.”

While another added: “This might sound cheesy but Jill Scott winning I’m A Celeb is an awesome night for everyone in the women’s football community.

“To see a women’s baller now a national icon and adored by many who won’t even like football is just SO good.”

“I’m so happy that Jill won because in my opinion she was the heart of the camp,” someone else wrote.

“She kept smiles on everyone’s faces with her one liners. She deserves it so much.”

Scott had many highlights from her time on the show, especially when it came to opening up about her life experiences.

In an early episode she reflected on the abuse she received as one of the only of the girls playing football in school growing up.

“If I beat their precious son, they’d shout stuff at us, like, ‘kick her, hack her down’… I’d come off the pitch literally in tears,” she said.

Despite the hardships, she said how happy she was that young girls “won’t have to face that stuff”.

In a later episode she reflected on coming out as gay as a footballer, saying it was much easier as a woman than it is in men’s football.

“I think in the men’s game, it’s so difficult,” she told her campmates.

“If you think about how much stick they get from chants… It’s just not a safe environment, where they feel safe enough to do that. And that’s so sad.”

However, it was not just Scott’s vulnerability and openness that won viewers over, but also her courage and humour. In early challenges we discovered Scott has a fear of heights and despite that she championed her fellow contestants on during the skyscraper challenge. 

And in a recent episode she took it in her stride when she had to dress up as Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and clamber on top of a car suspended high in the air. 

Her humour was also top notch, with Scott delivering one liners that had people laughing out loud.

In an early episode she made a quip asking Matt Hancock: “Just to be clear are these guidelines or rules” – a clear reference to Hancock’s own excuses when he was caught breaking his own rules during the pandemic.

And in more recent episodes had people laughing at her truly bizarre dinner party line up of Princess Diana, Roy Keane and Joey from Friends.

And of course David Beckham as a naked chef.

I’m A Celebrity rounds up a winning year for Jill Scott after her Euro’s victory, firmly cementing her as a national treasure.

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