With feuds, boycotts and controversial politicians, this series of I'm A Celebrity has seen it all - and we're still a few days away from the final. But amongst all the drama, there is one person whose unwavering enthusiasm and positive attitude has kept us hooked from the start: Sam Thompson.
In fact, Sam is currently the favourite to win I'm A Celebrity and there has been a huge support for him both inside and outside the jungle. One moment that has captured the hearts of viewers is his unlikely friendship with boxer Tony Bellows, with the pair even being compared to Donkey and Shrek.
But in the past few episodes, some viewers have speculated that Sam's behaviour is starting to annoy his fellow campmates. On Sunday’s episode, Tony looked annoyed when he tried to meditate with Nella while Sam tickled him with a piece of grass, before asking Sam to leave him alone. And last week, Tony joked Sam is like a child, calling the reality TV star ‘the most energetic person’ he has ever met.
Meanwhile on Sunday's episode, Nigel Farage compared Sam to ‘an eight-year-old’ after he played a prank on Tony. When Fred Sirieix said he ‘finds it very funny’ as he would be ‘bored’ without Sam around, Nigel replied ‘Oh I know, but it never stops.’ Then, Fred criticised Sam’s efforts at getting water, saying he’s ‘not very good at it’, with Nigel adding ‘He’s done f*** all.'
Even Ant and Dec have weighed in on Sam’s energetic behaviour (which has been dubbed his 'golden retriever energy'). On Sunday’s episode, they imitated his enthusiastic response to any news in the camp with fist pumping and exclamations. Later, as Sam celebrated winning his trial, Ant joked that the campmates were probably celebrating too because the trial had inadvertently gifted them ‘a whole hour without being hugged by Sam.’
While it's clear they didn't mean anything malicious by these jokes, it's important to keep in mind that Sam was diagnosed with ADHD and autism earlier this year. He has been open about his diagnosis in the jungle, telling his campmates 'I really struggle to concentrate, can’t stay still for very long...I struggle with emotional control. It’s nice to know that there is something happening in my brain that might be different to other people because a lot of the time I just thought I was a dick.’
Given Sam’s diagnosis, the attitude from some of the campmates doesn’t feel like the right way to respond to someone with ADHD - particularly if it is influencing public opinion off-screen. While lots of social media users have been quick to defend Sam, some viewers have labelled his energy ‘annoying’ and ‘too much', which is a frustrating response for people who have ADHD.
One X user summed up this sentiment in a post, which has now amassed 16.5k views. ‘Having ADHD myself and watching the group making catty remarks about Sam’s excess energy, forgetfulness, annoyance, being “a lot” just shows why people with ADHD feel so shit about themselves all the time. We can’t CONTROL ourselves, if we we could, we could #ImACeleb,’ she wrote.
Another user agreed, addressing Nigel's comments about Sam not collecting the water in a post on X: ‘sam doesn't do the water bc he forgets. he needs to be reminded bc of his adhd. he's not lazy. it's not him not caring about the camp. he just needs a friendly reminder. it's just adhd awareness. #ImACeleb.’
Sam's close friend, Pete Wicks, addressed the backlash against Sam in an interview with The Daily Mail. ‘He is quite obviously aggravating,’ he said. ‘However, that is the Sam that we know and love and I specifically love. Sam struggles with boredom and a lot of things because of his ADHD and autism but that shouldn't be seen as a bad thing. I have read a lot of comments and it's something that I believe shouldn't define him.’ He continued ‘People should embrace that because he's entertaining and that's what the show is about. He should be defined by the fact that he's a really fun, positive guy and that's his personality aside from having ADHD and autism.’
As Pete points out, Sam's energy is something to be embraced, not criticised, or mocked. A 2021 paper found that ADHD stigma and myths are pervasive and that these myths affect the self-perception of people with ADHD. These myths may also deter people from seeking treatment or cause them to feel guilt and shame when they do.
So, seeing a celebrity break the stigma around ADHD on screen by talking openly about their diagnosis can only be positive thing and should be celebrated. Plus, Sam's energy provides a much-needed breath of fresh air in the jungle and is exactly what has captured viewer's hearts - so let's not knock it.