This week on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! Naughty Boy and Kadenna Cox's so-called feud escalated. After a series of tense moments, the pair began arguing while cooking dinner with the music producer accusing the athlete of being ‘arsey’ with him.
Naughty Boy had been cooking rice with the Olympian athlete when he complained about the amount they were cooking for lunch. After a few choice words, Kadeena explained that she was 'tired' and sick of repeating herself.
'The reason you’re having to repeat yourself is because I’m trying to understand what’s going on,' Naughty Boy replied. 'You don’t need to get arsey with me, you really are. I’m speaking to you respectfully. I’m not getting respect back.'
It's not the first argument Kadeena and Naughty Boy have had in camp, so much so Ant and Dec raised it during her exit interview after Kadeena was voted out of the show on Monday night. And for what it's worth, Kadeena's explanation of their tense relationship proves there's a lot more going on behind the scenes than viewers realise.
Opening up about her eating disorder, Kadeena explained that her mental illness played a big role in her arguments around food.
‘He’s very chilled, laid back and does things his way,' Kadeena said. 'I am an athlete, I’m very regimented. I also have an eating disorder so I’m always trying to portion and control. It was just constant head butting.
‘It was a challenging situation,' the Paralympian continued. 'I love him and I think we’ll be really good friends out of this situation. Had we both not been in the kitchen it would have been fine, but we just butted heads over the cooking.’
Kadeena's acknowledgement of her eating disorder caused a huge spike in Google search for the star, with 'What eating disorder does Kadeena Cox have?' becoming a breakout search query.
Speaking to the Mirror before she entered the competition, Kadeena said of her eating disorder: ‘It’s something that I’ve spoken about with my psychiatrist and I’ve kind of put things in place. I’m in a really good place and I spent the last two or three years working really hard to get to where I am right now.’
Even just being around food can be sensitive for someone struggling with an eating disorder.
Understandably, cooking or even just being around food can be a sensitive environment for someone struggling with an eating disorder. Tensions are bound to be high, and arguments can happen without meaning to create them.
Hopefully, Naughty Boy and the audience watching I’m a Celeb this season can understand the complexities of disorders like these, and what Kadeena was going through at the time.
But it wasn't just her mental illness struggles that played a part in their feud, it was also the way in which Naughty Boy referred to her as being 'lazy' on the show - despite her multiple sclerosis diagnosis (MS)
Fatigue and tiredness is a well-known symptom of MS, something Kadeena could likely have been dealing with alongside the usual camp woes of being underfed and not sleeping. His comments therefore angered fans, with some accusing him of being unintentionally ableist.
Kadeena was diagnosed with MS aged in 2014. The athlete began sprinting aged 15 but was rushed into hospital after she had suffered a stroke and underwent several months of physiotherapy to recover.
Some months later, Kadeena began suffering the same symptoms, leading her to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. This lifelong condition can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a wide range of symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.
If we can take anything from Naughty Boy and Kadeena Cox’s feud, it’s to be considerate of what the person we’re angry with may be going through that’s impacting the situation. Regardless of our frustration, we must always remember there's more going on under the surface than we may realise.
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