Radio presenter Dean McCullough has revealed the profound psychological impact of receiving vile death threats following his appearance on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2024.
The Emotional Toll of Online Abuse
The 33-year-old broadcaster shared that the torrent of abuse he received after leaving the jungle left him fearing for his safety and scared to leave his house. McCullough, who was the second contestant eliminated from the 2024 series, recently appeared on ITV's Lorraine programme where he confessed to presenter Ranvir Singh that seeing the new 2025 contestants fly to Australia filled him with sadness.
'When I saw all the campmates fly to Australia this year, it made me feel quite sad,' he revealed. 'The person I was flying to Australia was not the person I was coming back, because of the trolling. I had death threats and DMs and comments. My team were so worried.'
Police Investigation and Support System
Earlier this year, McCullough took the serious step of reporting the threats to Greater Manchester Police, who subsequently launched an investigation into the matter. Speaking to Daily Star Sunday about the nature of the threats, he disclosed the disturbing details: 'When I came out of the jungle, I started getting so many death threats. People tell me they wish I'd got AIDS and died or that if they see me in the street they're going to batter me.'
The radio host revealed the shocking scale of the harassment, noting that 35 different accounts were identified as sending malicious contact, with 12 of these constituting aggravated malicious contact - essentially death threats.
Despite the online abuse, McCullough found strong support from his fellow 2024 campmates, including Coleen Rooney, GK Barry and winner Danny Jones. 'Everyone had my back in the jungle because they experienced the real me,' he explained during his ITV studio appearance. 'The people at home saw this two-dimensional person who got picked to do all the trials.'
Positive Changes and Moving Forward
McCullough expressed approval of ITV's decision to change the rules around Bushtucker Trials for the current 2025 series, preventing celebrities from being forced to undertake multiple trials consecutively. This comes after he was repeatedly selected for trials during his own jungle stint.
The presenter reflected on his initial enthusiasm for joining the show, acknowledging he had been 'grateful' for the opportunity when approached by ITV, but admitted the experience had fundamentally changed him due to the severe online trolling that followed.
He specifically mentioned threats that extended to his workplace at the BBC and his home, describing the content as 'really heavy stuff' that caused genuine concern for his safety and wellbeing.
