Ant and Dec have revealed the first words 'carefree' David Haye said to them after the chaotic I'm A Celeb finale were simply about ratings.

The All Stars series of the hit jungle show came to a dramatic end last Friday, which saw teary Adam Thomas crowned winner.

It had been plagued with controversy; from David, 45, being accused of 'bullying' Adam, 37, to the Waterloo Road star's own expletive row with Jimmy Bullard that was brought up in a tense exchange at the final.

Boxer David is planning to sue ITV following the portrayal of him in the series.

Now, Ant and Dec have revealed he joked about the overnight ratings after he and Jimmy were 'thrown out' of the after party.

Speaking on their podcast Hanging Out, Dec said: 'I saw David Haye on the way out, he had said "what about that then? Hope you get some good ratings for that one".'

Ant then interjected to say: 'He doesn't care, that's David. That's what he does, he's a boxer, that's his stock in trade, you know.'

The 50-year-old also addressed what appeared to be a tense exchange with Jimmy in the carpark as he left the studios.

Playing down their interaction, Ant started by joking: 'There's two people in the car park, David Haye and Jimmy Bullard and I thought "oh god, how's your luck?"

'I went over to David Haye, and he was like, "how brilliant was that? Wasn't that great?"

'And I was like, well, it was certainly talk about TV. I wouldn't call it great, but anyway, we had a laugh and we were cool.

'And then I walked off and seen Jimmy Bullard, and I just shook his hand and I was like, "look after yourself", and he was like, "yeah, cheers". 

'So there was no confrontation. He wasn't shouting at me, I wasn't shouting at him.'

Pictures taken from the encounter showed Ant leaving the studios in West London with his wife Anne-Marie Corbett.

Concluding, Ant said: 'I just felt it was a shame that the crowning moment of I'm a Celebrity South Africa couldn't have been more celebratory.'

On Monday it emerged David was planning to sue ITV for 'irreparable damage to his brand' over the scenes of him that were broadcast.

He is said to have instructed his lawyers to send a letter to ITV and he is demanding a full investigation into the show edit.

David was accused of 'bullying' Adam on the programme, which was filmed last year, and he was also criticised by viewers for his comments about women.

According to The Sun, the retired athlete feels he was deliberately edited to be the show's 'pantomime villain'. 

'He is going for damages as a result of the 'propaganda' aired against him to recover lost earnings, which lawyers believe could total up to £10million.'

The insider added that David was previously in talks about a show with Netflix which has since fallen through and other brand deal work is also thought to have been paused.

David has reportedly enlisted the services of £500-per-hour barristers Gatehouse Chambers.

Daily Mail has contacted representatives of David Haye and ITV for comment at the time.

The 'fat-shaming' remark about Gemma referred to an episode where the campmates were debating who would do a trial and Gemma said: 'We all need to eat tonight,' to which David replied: 'You need to eat tonight.'

Gemma said: 'You know what I'm like without food.' David replied: 'Where were you last night and where was I last night? What did I eat last night?'

Jungle champion Adam said he felt 'exploited by ITV' in a new episode of his podcast with his brothers Ryan and Scott. 

'I think for David [Haye] and some of these campmates who have come out, I feel like it's just a show to them, do you know what I mean?

'It's entertainment. It's fun. And for me it's not about entertainment, I'm not playing a character, I'm not here for anyone else's agenda but my own, to have a f***ing laugh and enjoy this experience. 

'And I feel that's the most disturbing thing for me, looking at David, and even after the show and everything he did, he sent me a voice note saying "Ah mate, what a great show that was, so happy you won, congratulations."

'I just sent him a message back and said look, I think this is where I draw the line, I hope you find happiness bro, but I'm done now. 

'It's hard, the whole experience. That live show, I just felt like I'd just been exploited, and I think you can see it, at the end of it. I felt like I was in the midst of it all, and it wasn't even about me.'

An emotional Thomas, who has been open about his struggles with mental health issues, also described Haye's actions in camp as definite 'bullying' and claimed the former boxer left him in an emotionally vulnerable state after 'getting inside his head.'

'What happened to me in camp was bullying, that is the matter of fact about it – it was bullying,' he said.

'And I don't think it's fair, for people who were going through what I was going through in the real world, to pass it off as banter, because it's not.

'And the reason why I didn't speak up for myself when I should have done is because when I was in camp, everyone was passing it off as banter, as "Oh, he's just doing it because he loves you." So I laughed it off. I laughed it off and pretended that it was alright.'

He added: 'I can see it from the other campmates' lens why it may seem like it was banter and not bullying, I understand it. But I'm telling you my truth, and how I felt in there, and it was bullying.

'I can also tell you that I spoke to David when I got out, and I asked him why. Why did you keep doing this to me? Why did you do it? And he told me, "I've never met a nicer guy, I just wanted to break you."

'If that isn't classed as bullying, then I don't know what is.' 

The actor was targeted by Haye after a medical condition ruled him out of certain Bushtucker Trials, prompting the ex-boxer to label him a 'professional victim.'

'Everyone says you're playing the victim, that is the last thing that I ever want to do is play the victim, that is the last thing,' he said.

'I just wanted it all to go away and I didn't talk to anyone.' 

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! was hit with over 1,000 complaints from viewers who tuned in to watch the tense live final.

The regulator revealed that fans of the ITV series had complained it broke the broadcasting code after a series of chaotic arguments were seen live on air. 

The latest broadcasting regulator's report noted that 1,187 people had sent in a complaint about the programme, which was broadcast live from London.

It's not the first time this series that fans have taken to Ofcom to complain, as 171 viewers previously submit their grievances in an earlier episode of the series, that saw former boxer David, 45, at odds with Adam.