Who is David Haye? I’m a Celebrity South Africa contestant and former boxer
Could he be this year's I'm A Celeb heavyweight champion?
There are some familiar famous faces returning to ITV's I'm A Celebrity tonight - however, this time they'll be heading to South Africa for the second season of the show's all-stars spin off.
The cast of the new season will feature two former winners, Queen of the Jungle Scarlett Moffatt and King Harry Redknapp. The royalty will be joined by TV personality Gemma Collins, Olympian Sir Mo Farah and comedian Seann Walsh.
Also stepping up to the challenge is former world champion boxer David Haye, but what has he been up to since he last appeared on the show?
Here's everything you need to know about him ahead of the first episode.
Who is David Haye?
Age: 45
Job: Former boxer
Instagram: @davidhaye
David Haye is a former world renowned professional heavy weight boxer. Nicknamed 'The Hayemaker', the British boxer became the world unified cruiserweight champion, simultaneously holding the WBA, WBC and WBO titles, before stepping up to heavyweight.
He beat WBA world champion Nikolai 'the Beast from the East' Valuev in 2009 to hold the world heavyweight title but lost it two years later in 2011 to Wladimir Klitschko.
He later had multiple come back fights, including losing to fellow British boxer and I'm A Celeb 2023 runner up Tony Bellew. David retired from boxing all together in 2018 but still offers commentary and analysis on Sky Sports.
He is also known for being committed to veganism, which he took up in 2014, so how he will fair in the eating trials awaits to be seen.
What season of I’m a Celebrity was David Haye on?
David Haye secured himself a bronze medal during his first stint on I'm A Celeb in 2012, the same series as his South Africa co-star Ashley Roberts, making headlines after showering naked in the jungle.
Why is David Haye returning to I’m a Celebrity?
David shared that what got him to sign up to the all-stars series of the show is the urge to travel to somewhere new.
"I’ve never been to South Africa before and when they asked me if I’d like to take part, I thought ‘perfect, lets go’. It’s also half the distance to get there (compared to Australia)
"After I did the Australian series, I went out to Costa Rica for three months and did something similar living in the jungle. I enjoy the serene nature."
He continued: "And so now I’m here, I’m most looking forward to not having my phone with me - being able to detach from the matrix.
"You are constantly connected to a multitude of businesses, relationships, family stuff and there is always something happening. When you go in there, it all stops.
"You can think about different elements in your life, relationships and plans moving forward. It stops the noise that I think people don’t realise is constantly there every time they pick up the phone, look at an email or look at text messages.
"In the jungle, you don’t know what is going on in the outside world and your new world is in there with these random people you don’t know."
I'm a Celebrity... South Africa returns on Monday 6 April at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Add I'm a Celebrity... South Africa to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Phoebe Kowhai Barnes is a Freelance Writer who covers pop culture and entertainment programmes for the Radio Times. She previously worked as the Senior Assistant Editor at The Tab where she managed its local department. She obtained a BA (Hons) in English Literature from University of Nottingham.
