Danny Jones opens up to the Mirror about his amazing Jungle journey in a wide-ranging exclusive interview
After three long, mostly wet weeks in the Australian jungle, it was the perfect tonic that Danny Jones needed.
His reunion with his wife Georgia and their six-year-old son Cooper was one of the most moving moments of the entire series as he sobbed in their arms. And the scene clearly struck a chord with viewers as they voted in their millions to make him King of the Jungle on Sunday night.
Now in an exclusive interview with the Mirror, Danny has spoken of the tender moments they all shared behind the scenes – which kept him going to the very end. “It was the most beautiful moment of my entire life,” he says. “ I remember Cooper’s little smile and his little face which was so excited to see me…it was just pure love and emotion.”
Going into I’m a Celebrity, Danny says his focal point was to make Cooper proud. And faced with his boy again after such a long time, it was clear from speaking to him that he had done just that. “I said, ‘are you being a good boy for mummy?’ and he said ‘I’m the talk of the school, daddy.’”, says Danny.
Winner: Danny reveals all (
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Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
In fact, his boy had been trying to emulate his dad on TV by making up his own Bushtucker trials at home. “He went to me, ‘I hope you don’t bring any, any critters home,” he says laughing. As well as the three weeks in camp, Danny was also on lockdown without his phone for a further week.
“I’ve never been away from Georgia or Cooper for that long. Even on tour, we tend to come home at the weekends,” he says. “But there was no contact for a month.” For Georgia, she was thrilled to see her husband again. “She told me how proud she was of me and I just cried and cried. It really kept me going after what had been a testing experience at times,” he says.
It was not the only time Danny let it all out. Viewers also watched as he bravely spoke about how he’d been in therapy since he was 19-years-old for anxiety after his dad left home. It all got too much at one point as he was comforted by Tulisa Contostavlos and Oti Mabuse.
And it seems his McFly bandmates are clearly not afraid to show their feelings too. Danny says how he Face-Timed Dougie Poynter shortly after leaving camp who was left in tears by his victory. “He said to me something that I would never have thought would come out of his mouth,” he explains. “He went, ‘mate, i’m so proud of my best mate, and every time I watched you, I just had tears in my eyes.”
Pool Life: Danny relaxing (
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Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
Coming from Dougie who won the same show 13 years previously was an extra special moment. “We don’t talk like that normally, and I thought there was a joke coming but there wasn’t,” Danny laughs. “He was like, ‘I was just so proud of my best mate. I said, ‘Dougie, you’re going to make me cry here sunshine if you carry on.’”
On the way back in the stretch hummer from camp to his hotel, he also watched video messages from his other bandmates. “Dougie was awake as he was in the Bahamas, but the other boys were asleep so had done little videos online for me. Tom was saying ‘we love you to bits…we’re so proud of you.’ We don’t speak like that to each other in everyday life, so it was incredible really.”
Entering the jungle, Danny says he never expected in a million years to open up so much. “Only my wife really sees that side of me….in fact only my nearest and dearest have ever seen it,” he says. “I wouldn’t do that usually but that’s what the jungle did to me. I was tired, hungry, lethargic, and my calorie deficit was crazy. My guard was down, and I just let it all out.”
He says he has been amazed by the incredibly positive reaction to his tears. “Hopefully by talking about these things, it makes the world a little less lonely for other people.” On a personal level too, he says his opening up in camp had helped ease his own struggles.
“I’ve not felt anxiety for a while, but I do get a sadness about things these days. I haven’t talked about it for so many years, and now I’m willing to talk about it because I know it helps me. It’s like a little stepping stone to healing, and that backpack that I’ve been carrying since I was 19 years old, is getting a little bit lighter every time.”
Danny Jones won on Sunday night (
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Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)Danny says there was a real camaraderie among the contestants given the atrocious weather conditions, which saw record rainfall hit the camp. He says it got so bad at times they had to be evacuated TWICE and shelter in the Bush Telegraph. “It was one of the hardest nights, we were all quite cramped and I think there were still 12 of us then as well, all boiling-hot in close proximity. The rain also meant the leeches were searching for you and I was literally on leech check every day.”
Viewers watched as Danny gravitate towards Barry McGuigan with the two men striking up a close friendship. In moving scenes, he told on screen how he had “found a dad” as he is estranged from his real father. “I thought I would love Barry because of Barry the boxer, the legend, but all of a sudden, we’re actually bonding, like father and son in there,” he says.
“And he reminded me of my granddad as well, in a way, where he’s just a bit of a laugh, really thoughtful, and he got really protective over me. He filled that space of craving a father figure.” And it was this relationship – as well as with Oti Mabuse and Dean McCullough – that saw Danny emerge from those testing early days and flourish.
Soon he was regaling everyone with his musical talents, and also tackling his job as camp leader with relish. But he was joined in the singing stakes by Barry, who stunned everyone with his smooth, soulful voice. Not least Danny. “I would love to do a song with Barry. Honestly, I think we should do a swing album…that’s a great idea,” he says. “He’s got a really good voice, and I love how much joy he gets from singing.”
As for what’s next for Danny….well, anything’s possible given the clear love the British public has put his way. ITV are thought to be weighing up a series of TV projects for him in the wake of his success , and another McBusted tour is scheduled.
For Danny nothing fazes him. “I feel like they know the real me now..I am not afraid of anything anymore,” he says.
