After hosting I’m A Celebrity for 22 years, Ant and Dec have become integral to the show with fans threatening to boycott the series if the merry Geordie duo ever left.
But the nation’s favourite double act have found themselves an enemy in Extinction Rebellion.
Show insiders now fear that the pair will become the targets of the climate change activists’ notorious protests.
Extinction Rebellion called for Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, both 49, to be axed from the ITV show for their ties to Santander Bank.
On Sunday night, the climate activist group wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: ‘Ironic that Ant and Dec are on ITV again in the Jungle, while they’re the face of Santander bank, a massive financier of deforestation and destruction in the Amazon Jungle… Ant and Dec get them out of there.’
The statement was written on the group’s South London X page, XR Balham, during Sunday night’s launch show.
After hosting I’m A Celebrity for 22 years, Ant and Dec, both 49, have become integral to the show with fans threatening to boycott the series if the merry Geordie duo ever left
Show insiders now fear that the pair will become the targets of the climate change activists’ notorious protests as Extinction Rebellion called for the duo to be axed from the ITV show for their ties to Santander Bank (pictured in the advert)
Extinction Rebellion has a strong presence in Australia.
Like the UK, the country has been plagued by increasingly hostile acts of protest from the group’s supporters including allegedly blocking traffic on Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge and occupying the Parliament of Australia’s lower house the House of Representatives, and gluing their hands to Picasso’s ‘Massacre in Korea’ at the National Gallery of Victoria.
It’s not the first time Ant and Dec, who have been ambassadors for the bank since 2019, have been called out publicly for their links to Santander.
A platform called Make Money Matter wrote: ‘As Ant and Dec head into the jungle for I’m A Celebrity, the destruction of the world’s forests and wildlife is being paid for by their mates at Santander.
‘This year we’ve seen unprecedented heatwaves, forest fires and flooding, all while Santander has doubled down on their fossil fuel financing and is also a major financier of forest-risk sectors.
‘Santander is using Ant and Dec to cover up its climate destruction. It’s time the Bank of Antandec shut up shop and cut ties with Santander.’
Last month the pair appeared in Santander’s latest ad for its Open Academy which raises awareness of the free online learning platform.
In the advert, Ant and Dec play the fictional Bank of Antanddec CEOs who lock themselves in a safe as they attempt to guard their potential when they hear about Santander’s new initiative but lose the key.
Extinction Rebellion group XR Balham wrote a statement on the group’s South London X page during Sunday night’s launch show
It’s not the first time Ant and Dec, who have been ambassadors for the bank since 2019, have been called out publicly for their links to Santander
Santander is the second financial institution in the EU that grants most loans to the main Brazilian beef exporters involved in deforestation.
MailOnline have contacted ITV, Santander and Ant and Dec’s representatives for a comment.
The hosts sent their fans into hysterics after they joked about needing ‘more days off’ in a TikTok video last week.
Jumping on the latest social media trend, the Geordie duo, who are currently Down Under for I’m A Celeb, recreated their own spin on the Camera Flip Challenge.
The challenge sees people deliver advice aimed at their own demographic, as they pretend to accidentally reveal themselves as the obvious target of the message.
And Ant and Dec did not hold back for their clip as the camera looked out into the trees with the text: ‘Ant & Dec actually work so hard during I’m A Celeb, this year they deserve more days off for golf.’
The camera then flipped to reveal it was the TV duo behind the camera as they awkwardly look at each other in shock.
Finding the joke hilarious, fans took to the comment section to share their thoughts, with one writing: ‘I love this trend and how all the celebrities are doing it.’
