Showbiz

Coronation Street star shockingly admits he ‘wanted to KILL’ I’m A Celeb co-star before quitting the show: ‘I’d be in prison if I hadn’t left’

Coronation Street star shockingly admits he ‘wanted to KILL’ I’m A Celeb co-star before quitting the show: ‘I’d be in prison if I hadn’t left’

Coronation Street star and acting icon Nigel Havers has shockingly admitted he ‘wanted to kill’ fellow I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! campmate Lembit Öpik amid their bitter feud. 

The 73-year-old, who played conman Lewis Archer in the ITV soap, joined the ex politician, 60, in the Australian jungle back in 2010, but quit after just nine days after objecting to electric shock trial.

Nigel branded his experience on the reality show ‘s***’ and said that he’d be in prison for murdering Lembit, with whom he clashed in camp, had he not left when he did.

He told The Guardian: ‘You think it looks bad on TV. S**t, it was terrible. It was the boredom more than anything’.

‘There was a bloke called Lembit Öpik, the politician. After a couple of days, I wanted to kill him.  Had I stayed, I would’ve killed him and I’d be in prison now. So it seemed like a good idea to leave.’

MailOnline have contacted Nigel’s reps for further comment.   

Coronation Street star and acting icon Nigel Havers, 74, has shockingly admitted he 'wanted to kill' fellow I'm A Celeb campmate Lembit Öpik

Coronation Street star and acting icon Nigel Havers, 74, has shockingly admitted he ‘wanted to kill’ fellow I’m A Celeb campmate Lembit Öpik

The actor joined the ex politician, 60, in the Australian jungle back in 2010, but quit after just nine days after objecting to electric shock trial (Lembit pictured on the show in 2010)

The actor joined the ex politician, 60, in the Australian jungle back in 2010, but quit after just nine days after objecting to electric shock trial (Lembit pictured on the show in 2010)  

While in the jungle Nigel had been seen growing tired of Lembit’s conversation, telling him on several occasions he was ‘dull’.

Last year the former MP revealed that he and the actor had not shared a single word since their time in camp and slammed the ‘two-faced’ actor for ‘rubbishing’ him over the years. 

He told The Sun: ‘We’ve not been on each other’s Christmas lists since 2010. Yeah, Nigel Havers was two-faced. He pretended to be my friend. I only realised what he really thought when I saw the show after I came out’.

Nigel again spoke about his distaste for his co-star during a 2018 appearance on GMB: ‘If I’d stayed there I would have killed somebody, his name was Lembit Opik and I was just about to murder him.’

However following his interview Lembit was quick to hit back at Nigel as he took to X to accuse the actor of ‘blaming him for everything’.

He wrote: ‘Poor Nigel Havers: only celeb to walk out of jungle in my series. He fell in lake – blamed me. In car back to H๏τel – he blamed me. Now he’s blaming me for his departure from camp! I apologise for it all: and for his appearance on BENIDORM in case he blames me for that too.’

Lembit was the second celebrity who was sent home by the public vote with Loose Women’s host Stacey Solomon going on to win the series.

Nigel dramatically quit I’m A Celeb, just hours after complaining to producers about treatment of contestants.

Nigel (R) branded his experience on the reality show 's***' and said that he'd be in prison for murdering Lembit (L) with whom he clashed in camp, had he not left when he did

Nigel (R) branded his experience on the reality show ‘s***’ and said that he’d be in prison for murdering Lembit (L) with whom he clashed in camp, had he not left when he did

He said: 'There was a bloke called Lembit Öpik, the politician. After a couple of days, I wanted to kill him. Had I stayed, I would've killed him and I'd be in prison now'

He said: ‘There was a bloke called Lembit Öpik, the politician. After a couple of days, I wanted to kill him. Had I stayed, I would’ve killed him and I’d be in prison now’

Last year the former MP revealed that he and the actor had not shared a single word since their time in camp and slammed the 'two-faced' actor for 'rubbishing' him over the years

Last year the former MP revealed that he and the actor had not shared a single word since their time in camp and slammed the ‘two-faced’ actor for ‘rubbishing’ him over the years

Nigel dramatically quit I'm A Celeb (pictured) just hours after complaining to producers about treatment of contestants

Nigel dramatically quit I’m A Celeb (pictured) just hours after complaining to producers about treatment of contestants

He finally left camp, after he was seen objecting to the Kangaroo Court task, which saw camp members given electric shocks if they failed in the special trial.

Nigel was seen fuming: ‘I’m not up for it, I don’t do electric shocks so I’m leaving. I cannot waste another second of my life. I will probably do something drastic like probably go.

Read More Coronation Street legend reveals the time he was caught in his father’s bed with TWO girls article image

‘If you are gaining something, that’s a fantastic thing. But if you’re not gaining something…’

He said another reason he had decided to quit the show was because he didn’t want his wife to see him ‘in prison’. 

Nigel had also been complaining about the lack of intelligent conversation between campmates, calling many of the discussion topics ‘inane’.

Saying: ‘There has been non-stop chat, never a pause ever. I’m 59 and I don’t want to waste it sitting around talking absolute b******s.’

Earlier this year Nigel shared insight into his colourful love life and been married three times, but he said he wouldn’t know where to start if he was back on the market today. 

The star of The Charmer and Chariots Of Fire, said he the idea of online dating completely baffling. ‘Whatever happened to going to a party and saying, “Hello, what are you doing next week?”’ he murmurs in that familiar silky voice.

‘That’s so much nicer. I don’t think I could cope with swiping left and right. I wouldn’t know how to do it, for a start. It must be so complicated. In that respect, I’m very glad I’m in my early 70s.’ 

Nigel pictured as Lewis Archer in Coronation Street with co-star Sue Nicholls in 2010

Nigel pictured as Lewis Archer in Coronation Street with co-star Sue Nicholls in 2010

Earlier this year cheeky Nigel revealed during his younger dats his father walked in on him in bed with two women

Earlier this year cheeky Nigel revealed during his younger dats his father walked in on him in bed with two women 

On second thoughts, Nigel thinks that if he were single, he’d somehow make a go of it. ‘Someone would obviously teach me. But if I was 30 now, I’d know exactly how to do it!’

Nigel came of age in the Swinging Sixties and says he didn’t hold back. ‘I swung as much as I could!’ he chuckles. 

When he was a drama student in London, his father Sir Michael Havers was a distinguished lawyer and future Attorney General, and had a flat at the Inns of Court. When his dad wasn’t there, the flat became party central for Nigel and friends. 

‘One Saturday night I had a few people over for an evening; some cocktails and food. And then we all bunked down, as they say. About nine or ten o’clock the next morning, I heard a key turning and I thought, “Oh my God! Who’s that?”

‘The next thing I knew my father walked in. I was in his bedroom, in his bed, which was not a good place to be, with a couple of girls. I had to make them disappear quickly. And my father said, “I’ll be back in an hour and you’ll face the music!” 

So we quickly got the place together and everyone disappeared and I sat there. An hour went by, then two – and he never came back. Dad never mentioned it. But I never did that again.’

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