Adam Thomas wins I'm A Celebrity South Africa live final

Adam Thomas was crowned the winner of I'm A Celebrity... South Africa after topping the public vote in the show’s first live final, turning a pre-recorded all-stars series into a live television event with a clear commercial purpose. Sir Mo Farah finished second, Harry Redknapp took third and Craig Charles came fourth.

The final aired on Friday, 24 April 2026, and was broadcast live from Versa Studios in London by Ant and Dec. Scarlett Moffatt had been eliminated the day before, on Thursday, 23 April 2026, leaving Thomas, Farah, Redknapp and Charles to compete for the title of latest ultimate legend, also described by the franchise as a jungle legend.

The result underlined why the format continues to travel so well. The South Africa edition had been pre-recorded in 2025, then repackaged for a live climax that restored uncertainty and audience participation at the point when the winner was decided. That structure, mixing archive-style production with a live vote, has become part of the franchise’s durability: familiar faces, a controlled narrative, and a final reveal that still feels immediate.

This was the second South Africa all-stars edition of the ITV format. The first series aired between 24 April and 12 May 2023, establishing the franchise extension as more than a one-off experiment. By bringing back names with built-in recognition, including Thomas, Farah, Redknapp, Charles and Moffatt, the series leaned on nostalgia as much as competition, a model that now travels easily across markets and platforms.

The live ending also gave ITV a way to reassert the event value of a format that had already been filmed months earlier. Even with the South Africa edition completed in advance, the network used the London final to turn a return series into a fresh broadcast moment. ITV had not yet confirmed whether a third South Africa series would follow, leaving the future of the spin-off open after a finale designed to prove the format still has reach.