Ofcom have confirmed that they are considering whether to investigate ITV, following Sunday night’s ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!’ episode, during which Ferne McCann ate a live spider as part of a bushtucker trial.
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A number of viewers took to Twitter to question the stunt when it was aired, and the broadcasting watchdog has now confirmed that they’ve received a number of complaints.
We still can't believe this actually happened...
A statement issued to The Mirror explains: "We've received 553 complaints about ‘I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’ on ITV. We will assess these complaints before deciding whether to investigate or not."
A further 500 people also complained directly to ITV.
A spokesman for ITV has commented on the situation, stating: "I'm a Celebrity complies with all regional and international laws concerning the use of insects in the eating trials, which have become a well-established part of the show over the past 15 years."
As part of the eating trial, Ferne was offered the choice between a live water spider, or a roast dinner.
As her campmates would have lost out on a meal if she went for the roast, the ‘TOWIE’ star gamely opted to eat the arachnid, swirling it round in a glass before chowing down.
While viewers debated over the ethics of the trial, it was universally agreed that Ferne is nothing short of a superwoman for managing it.
Despite her heroic efforts, Ferne wasn’t crowned Queen of the jungle, as that title went to former ‘Geordie Shore’ star Vicky Pattison.