Treasure Island: Sam Wallace reveals why he's 'happy to be the villain' of Celebrity Treasure Island

Sam Wallace has been playing a hard game so far on Celebrity Treasure Island – and well, he's ended up coming off as a little bit of a villain.

But Sam says the reason he is fighting so hard for the $100,000 of buried treasure is because of a special personal connection he has with his charity of choice, the Starship Foundation.

"Before anyone judges me for the way I'm playing Celebrity Treasure Island, know what I'm playing for!" he wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of his nephew in hospital. "This is my nephew Beau Charlie. Two heart surgeries at Starship Foundation saved his life!"

Sam Wallace says the reason he is fighting so hard for the $100,000 of buried treasure on Celebrity Treasure Island is because he has special personal connection with his charity of choice, the Starship Foundation.

The snap shows Beau smiling at age three with a scar down his chest after receiving heart surgery and, in an earlier post, Sam added that he's "happy to be a villain [on Celebrity Treasure Island] fighting for the lives of kids."

Sam explained that from a young age Beau has struggled with health issues and that Starship Children's Hospital has been vital for helping him through them.

"He was born prematurely and we soon realised he was a very, very, sick baby," Sam said, telling Beau's heart-breaking story. "He went in for emergency heart surgery … well, it didn't go so well."

"They couldn't get Beau's heart started again ... we actually lost Beau and at that moment there was a period where blood didn't get to his brain."

View this post on Instagram

Before anyone judges me for the way I’m playing @celebritytreasureisland know what I’m playing for! This is my nephew Beau Charlie. Two heart surgeries at @starshipfoundation saved his life! #haters #jogon

A post shared by Sam Wallace (@breakfastsam) on Aug 20, 2019 at 2:16am PDT

Beau then underwent a second heart operation, but because of the complications with his first operation, he was left with "black spots" in his brain and a stiff leg that he often has to wear a brace on.

Now age six, Beau – who has overcome so much in his life so far - competed in his very first cross-country and "smiled the whole way around".

Sam went on to explain that while he came in last, "the whole school was cheering him on".

"Kids can be cruel but that can also be very, very, kind," he added.