Skye Wheatley is your jungle queen after being crowned on Sunday night's I'm A Celebrity finale.
The content creator and former Big Brother housemate was a standout camper this season. Skye provided constant entertainment with her random musings, infectious personality and spontaneous singing. She also took part in some of the jungle's most gruelling tasks — including the dreaded viper room.
She was crowned the winner on Sunday night, swiping the crown from runner-up campers Tristan MacManus and Callum Hole. And when we got to chatting, I simply had to ask her the question on the tip of everyone's tongue...
How on earth did she get her hair looking so perfect for the finale?
"Heatless curlers, babe," Skye confirmed. I KNEW IT.
Anyways, on to other topics, Skye shared her biggest surprise filming the iconic reality series, compared to watching it from the comfort of her home. "I personally thought, they're not actually rationing out the food. I thought they were all being so dramatic," she said.
"Mate, they're not f**king around. They're being serious. They are not kidding. You are on RATIONS, like every time we would eat a meal, I would be screaming, I'd be crying. I'd be like, 'I want more!'"
Life in the jungle turned out to be much harder than the influencer expected. "When you're actually in it, and you're doing it, it is a whole new ballgame. I can't even describe it. I don't know how to explain the experience unless you're actually doing it."
Wheatley's win is a full circle moment, after she placed third in the eleventh season of Big Brother a decade ago in 2014. This was our first introduction to the young Gold Coaster.
"I wanted to be as true to myself as I was on Big Brother," she told Mamamia. "That's all I wanted to be in the jungle. It felt good to be really authentic and genuine. I feel like I did that, and I ticked it off my bucket list."
In the years since Big Brother, Skye has been caught up in a few controversies, such as making "insensitive" jokes about sex with then-boyfriend Lachlan Waugh, and a comment she made about domestic violence victims. But the reality star said she didn't go on the show with any agenda to shed this reputation. "I just wanted to go in there, be myself and show who I was," she said.
"I wasn't thinking, 'I want to share with the public what I'm really like,' because I am me. I am who I am. You should never judge a book by its cover."
Listen to The Spill's episode about Michelle Bridges' failed attempt to restore her reputation on I'm A Celeb. Post continues below.
In the jungle, Skye did open up about the body image issues she's had over the years, admitting to going through periods of restrictive and binge eating throughout her life.
"I feel like it's very relatable. You need to show your vulnerability. You need to be exactly who you are. A lot of people would think 'she's not human', but I actually am. I go through everyday struggles and I struggle like everyone else would. I've always been honest about who I am, and I feel like my journey is who I am today."
As far as who she bonded with most in the jungle, Skye listed Tristan, Ellie Cole and Frankie Muniz as some of her closest pals — but she had a special connection with third-placed camper, Callum.
"Callum was always a given, we were so similar," she said. "I always felt this closeness to him."
Skye was shocked to be named the winner, as she expected the runner-up to take home the title.
"I thought Tristan was gonna win this whole time. I had in my head that he was gonna win. He's the winner. In my head, he was my choice. And we are still in shock. I feel like an idiot even answering these questions."
As for Skye's next move, she's (rather weirdly) already keen to head back into the jungle.
"Like, 1000 per cent, I would do this again. That sounds so crazy but the sense of achievement that you feel when you finish something like this and the lessons that you learn — nothing tops that. Nothing is better than that feeling. I feel so close to my soul more than I ever have in my life," she said.
"I'm A Celebrity All-Stars, let's get it happening!"
Feature image: Ten.
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