Ant and Dec throw shade at I'm A Celeb's Cliff Parisi missing Bushtucker trials

30 November 2019, 22:14 | Updated: 30 November 2019, 23:25

The presenting duo poked fun at the controversy surrounding Cliff missing out on trials

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! viewers were in hysterics during tonight's episode after Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly seemingly poked fun at Cliff Parisi missing Bushtucker Trials.

The Call The Midwife star, 59, has caused some controversy this week after being exempt from a number of trials.

During tonight's episode, some of the campmates were discussing tipping - and Cliff revealed that he gifts his driver with a holiday or large sum of money every year.

Read more: I'm A Celeb fans fuming after Ian and James 'ruin Christmas for children' with Santa chat

Following the clip, Ant joked to Dec: "What's it like being Cliff's driver?", and Dec replied: "It's a dream job - he rings in sick most days".

The apparent shade did not go unnoticed with viewers, with many taking to Twitter to praise Ant for the joke - one even branding it 'the joke of the series'.

Earlier this week, viewers slammed Cliff for not taking part in a number of trials on medical grounds.

One person tweeted: "Someone wanna tell me why Cliff is in the jungle if he's always being ruled out smh #ImACeleb."

Another added: "Why is Cliff even in the show if he can't do any trials?

"I hate when campmates are excluded from trials on 'medical grounds', if someone isn't well enough to do a trial then they shouldn't be allowed on the show. Simple as that. #ImACeleb #imacelebrity."

Read more: ITV respond after I’m A Celebrity viewers think they spotted Cliff ‘vaping’ in the jungle

And a third raged: "Why is Cliff in there if he can't do any challenges?!" another fumed, "Every minute ruled out for medical reasons #ImACeleb."

Cliff Parisi entered the jungle as one of the latecomers last week.

Before he entered the jungle, he revealed that he was going on the show to pay off a tax bill.

Speaking to the Mirror, he said: "What made me sign up? The taxman. I have got a bill I need to pay.

"Like everyone at this time of year, you go, ‘Oh no. Again...' You would think I earn a lot of money but I don’t.”

"I had a meeting about this earlier on in the year and I thought about it long and hard and said no and then as it crept along to September and I got an estimate for my tax I phoned them up and said 'is it too late to say yes?' So here I am.

"I give myself a bit of a talking to, and then I spoke to the accountant and he made my mind up."