Worrall Thompson blasts 'Celeb' rat row

Antony Worrall Thompson has criticised the ongoing I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! rat row.

The celebrity chef, who starred in the ITV1 show's 2003 series, admitted that he was baffled over the decision to charge Gino D'Acampo and Stuart Manning with animal cruelty after they killed and ate a rat on the most recent run.

Speaking to Live From Studio Five, Thompson claimed: "Millions of people all over the world hate rats. Now whether it was a tame rat or whether it was a pet rat, I don't think Gino and Stuart were to know that. If the producers had known that and they didn't want it cooked, they should have stepped in and prevented it."

He added: "I think the Australian authorities are taking it far too far. At the end of the day, it's a survival game show and that's what they were doing."

D'Acampo and Manning have reportedly been instructed to appear in an Australian court on February 3 over the matter.

Meanwhile, ITV recently apologised for the incident, confirming that show producers had given the stars permission to kill the animal.