Jack Maynard quits I'm A Celebrity to defend himself against 'allegations'

A number of stories have appeared in the press since the 22-year-old entered the jungle

Online Digital News Director

November 22, 2017Nov 22, 2017, 7:49 AM GMT

Jack Maynard, YouTube star, has left I'm A Celebrity 2017. The decision was made by ITV and the 22-year-old's representative after a number of stories appeared in the press following Jack's arrival in the jungle. His publicist said in a statement that Jack had been "unable to respond" to the allegations and that it was "only fair" he have the opportunity to defend himself. Jack appeared on Tuesday night's episode of I'm A Celeb, but halfway through the show Ant and Dec confirmed his departure, telling viewers they would be unable to vote for him in Wednesday's Bushtucker Trial. In a statement, his publicist said: "In the last few days Jack Maynard has been the subject of a succession of media stories which, given his position as a contestant on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! - filmed in the Australian jungle, with no contact with the outside world, he has been unable to respond to.

The YouTube star left the jungle on Tuesday

"Since it is only fair that everyone should be aware of any allegations made against them and should also have the right to defend themselves, it was agreed that it would be better to bring him out of the show. Jack agrees with this decision, which was made by his representatives and ITV and thanks everyone who has supported him in the show this far." A spokesperson for the jungle reality show said: "Due to circumstances outside camp, Jack has had to withdraw from the show."

Jack has more than 1.2m subscribers to his YouTube channel and is the younger brother of singer Conor Maynard.

Conor Maynard's brother is facing allegations of racism and homophobia

He has faced allegations of racism and homophobia in recent days after old tweets using insulting language emerged online - the majority of which were posted in 2012 and have since been removed. His representative said that the star was "ashamed" of those tweets and realises now that the language used was "completely unacceptable".

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