After sensationally walking out of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, Anthony Mundine has unleashed a vile rant about homosexuality.
The controversial boxer lasted less than two weeks in the South African jungle, before calling it quits during Thursday night's episode.
Speaking to News Corp's Jonathon Moran after his sudden exit, Mundine appeared to endorse the death penalty for gay people. Using Islam and Aboriginal culture as an example, the practising Muslim claimed it would work to "deter" people from homosexuality.
"If we were to live in a society, just like in Aboriginal culture, that homosexuality is forbidden and you do it and the consequences are capital punishment or death, you think you are going to do it? Or think twice about doing it?"
He also asserted that homosexuals shouldn't be allowed on television, in case they influence young children to become gay.
"They are not going to be happy until they have primary school kids being gay," he said. "I talk the truth. It is the system. I don't care if you are gay or not, it doesn't worry me because the creator will judge you later. If you are going to be gay, do it behind closed doors, that is how it used to be in the olden days."
Mundine was asked to clarify his comments and if he thought gay people should be executed.
"The paedophiles mainly, hang them suckers and let's see if they have the balls to do it again," he said.
The 42-year-old quit the reality show this week, claiming that he was missing his family.
However, it's believed a passing comment from Jackie Gillies may have been what sealed Mundine's decision.
Viewers were eager for answers after the announcement of his hasty exit, making him only the second contestant ever to quit I'm A Celeb - after tennis player Bernard Tomic's departure last week.
In Thursday night's episode, we saw the circumstances surrounding Mundine's exit, starting with a discussion with fellow campmate Gillies.
Heading out of camp on an errand together, Mundine confided in Gillies: "I'm thinking of walking."
Telling him to snap out of it, Gillies pointed out that besides, he "might be voted out this week."
Mundine did not take this well.
"Are you serious? I'm the coolest cat in here!" he scoffed.
"Listen, if you're voted out before Danny Green, then we know who's liked," said Gillies.
Some viewers thought this seemed a pretty good theory as to why Mundine left - leave of your own accord before you suffer the indignity of getting voted out by your biggest sporting rival:
Is Mundine going to quit rather than admit Green’s an alright bloke? 🤣 #ImACelebrityAU
Mundine knows the general public hate him and would have voted him out before Danny Green, so he's cracked the sads and pulled a Tomic. I hope his charity doesn't miss out because of this.#ImACelebrityAU
Hmmm. Do you reckon Mundine walked because the thought of being the first voted out/voted out before Green would crush his ego too much? #ImACelebrityAU
Shortly after, and before his tucker trial - which saw him locked in a dark box with snakes in a so-called 'viper room' - Mundine approached Kerry Armstrong for another confessional, telling her he was "struggling" and missing his children.
You're kidding me, right? This the real reason Mundine walked? Photo / Channel 10
"But do you think, the thing is, they wouldn't want you to give up, because that would break their hearts?" Armstrong pleaded.
"Look me deep in the eyes, I'm going to tell you something. You will never live it down if you leave here. You will be called a quitter by Australia," she continued.
"It's not about quitting," said Mundine.
"I've never experienced something like this, you know what I mean?"
Mundine lasted the full 15 minutes in the horrifying 'viper room' trial, the devout Muslim turning to prayer to tune out the 100 snakes poured into a dark, water-filled box he shared with Green.
Sssssurely this wasn't the real reason Mundine walked? Photo / Channel 10
But despite a hero's welcome back at camp - and an apparent truce with Green - it seems Mundine's mind was made up.
"I just don't want to be here anymore… I wanna see my kids," he said.
"A lot of people that like me but a lot of people that don't like me want to see me do these challenges… I know I'm going to get a lot of votes. I don't want to take people's spot," he said, before becoming emotional.
"I made good friends here and I come in here to let people see the real Anthony Mundine, the real me, to know who I really am as a man. I am not the guy they perceive me to be," he continued, before bidding his shocked fellow contestants farewell.
