I’m a Celebrity 2021: Winner Danny Miller says he ‘couldn’t afford’ to quit

‘There’s no point in me lying,’ said former soap star

I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2021 winner Danny Miller has said he “couldn’t afford” to quit the show.

On Sunday evening (12 December), the former Emmerdale star was crowned the King of the Castle, with Coronation Street’s Simon Gregson finishing in second place and The Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge in third.

Miller, whose newborn son was born weeks ago, has now said his motivation for competing was to help provide the financial foundation for his baby Albert’s future.

The 30-year-old actor told The Mirror: “I don’t think I realised how hard it was when I signed up… But there’s no point in me lying. The truth is that I wouldn’t have been able to afford to walk away from it.”

He added: “I think it was a mental challenge for me… And as much as I probably did want to leave at some points, it was never an option, because A, I couldn’t afford to do it, and B, I didn’t want to do it. I wanted to finish the journey. I signed up to a show and I wanted to finish the contract.”

While the amount of money the I’m a Celebrity contestants earned from going on the show this year hasn’t been confirmed by ITV, it has been reported that Good Morning Britain co-host Richard Madeley – who left the competition early after becoming ill – had been due to earn the most with a fee of £200,000.

Miller’s fee for competing has been estimated to be around £75,000. There is no extra cash prize for winning the show.

Deal or No Deal presenter Noel Edmonds, who went on I’m a Celebrity in 2018, is thought to be the highest-paid contestant of all time with a reported fee of £600,000.