NRL great Sam Thaiday has been crowned winner of 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here' for 2025.
The former forward, who played at representative level for both state and country, joined the show which pits celebrities against each other in a range of challenges in the African jungle.
The 11th season of the show being taken out by Thaiday saw him defeat Reggie Bird and Matty Johnson, winning $100,000 for his chosen charity.
Thaiday, speaking on the show, said he picked the charity Find Ya Feet because of the work they do with the community.
โTommy [Herschell] is an absolute legend of a man," Thaiday said on the show per TV Tonight.
โI've been able to be a part of his workshops previously. His goal is to offer a platform for individuals to share their stories and equip them with the skills to be able to own their problems. He helps provide tools that enable them to shift that โget on with it' culture well after the workshop pulls up.
โTheir vision is to empower every individual with the tools and skills they need to engage in conversations that go well past โHow are ya?' I wish I had a mentor like Tommy to come and talk to me as a 13-year-old boy. His workshops give especially young boys a chance to share their emotions in a safe space without judgmental criticism.
โIn 2007 I lost one of my best mates to suicide. If he had a mentor like Tommy at such a young age it could have helped him develop the skills to share stories and lessen the burden he felt, maybe Joey would be here today.โ
Thaiday, who has been open about his mental health struggle dating back as far as 2020, opened up about his life throughout the show.
The forward, now 39, was also congratulated by his former club the Brisbane Broncos, who took to Twitter, labelling him the "King of the Jungle."
"King of the Jungle. A big congrats to Sammy on being crowned the winner of I'm A Celebrityโฆ Get Me Out Of Here! 2025 and helping out a great cause," the Broncos wrote.
