Ben Gillies has staunchly defended his wife Jackie Gillies, after she was voted off the TV show, I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!
Campmates in the South African jungle, boxer Danny Green and actor and comedian Peter Rowsthorn, had criticised Gillies on the show.
Green labelled her as “unintelligent” and Rowsthorn called her a “bitch face”.
Ben Gillies noted on social media that they had done so “behind her back”.
He said the pair lacked integrity.
“Talk to her guys! That’s what she would do,” he said.
The former Silverchair drummer is looking forward to seeing his wife again.
“I am so proud of you, Jacks. You really are an inspiration! The BEST peach. I’m counting down the minutes to talk to you. I’m so proud of you. I love you. Hurry home,” he wrote.
While Green and Rowsthorn bitched about Jackie Gillies, she got on well with other campmates.
Gillies hails from Newcastle and is known for starring on The Real Housewives of Melbourne and for being a “professional psychic”.
During her time in the jungle, she impressed co-stars – model Simone Holtznagel and Princess Di’s former butler Paul Burrell – with her psychic abilities.
But when the show’s producers brought psychic-medium John Edward on the show for an episode, Gillies seemed perturbed.
Generally she showed a kind, compassionate nature with an inclination towards mysticism. She also showed she wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself.
When she left the show, Danny Green was the one campmate she did not hug.
She broke down in tears when discussing the conflict with hosts Chris Brown and Julia Morris.
“I heard from a few people in camp that he didn’t like me and that really hurt because ... I didn’t understand where it was coming from,” she said.
“I don’t let people stand over me, but there were times I felt intimidated by him. I didn’t know where it was coming from because I thought I was nothing but kind to him.”
She summed up her time in the jungle by saying she learned never to “feel guilty for who you are as a human being”.
“If somebody doesn’t like you or can’t accept you, that’s OK.
“If you continue to do everything with the right intent, continue to be who you are.”
Her nominated charity for the show was the Moira Kelly Creating Hope Foundation, which cares for sick and needy children and their families.
As she left the show, she vowed to “donate $25,000 of my own money” to the foundation.
In July last year, Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes gave Gillies a “key to the city” as part of an ambassador program that highlights individuals and organisations who promote Newcastle on a national stage.
Gillies, who grew up at Warners Bay, said at the time that: “My husband and I are proud Novocastrians and we’ve still got our place here in Merewether and we’ll never let that go and we’ll come back”.
