Content warning: This article mentions domestic and family violence. Help is always available. If you, or someone you know, needs support, you can contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732, or by visiting their website.
Concetta Caristo is officially the winner of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Australia.
The comedian, 31, beat runners-up Gary Sweet and Luke Bateman to be crowned the Queen of the Jungle on Sunday, February 22.
She has taken over the mantle from 2025 winner Sam Thaiday, and was overjoyed when hosts Robert Irwin and Julia Morris confirmed her victory.
Speaking exclusively to New Idea, she beamed, “I can’t really believe it! It’s very strange, and it’s still hitting me, but it feels unbelievable.
“I feel very, very happy and so ecstatic that I could get that $100,000 to my charity. It means the world to me, and I know it means the world to them.”
Her win meant she took home $100,000 for her chosen charity, Full Stop Australia, which provides counselling, training and advocacy to support people impacted by sexual, domestic and family violence.
During her time on the show, Concetta spoke openly about her family’s experience with domestic violence in her childhood, revealing her life would look “very different” if her mother hadn’t sought out support from a service like Full Stop Australia.
Speaking about it was not easy, she said, but something she is determined to keep raising awareness about.
“Getting to that on this national scale on this huge TV show, I was so nervous. I was so anxious,” she shared.
“Because it matters so much because it’s so vulnerable, you care, and you can worry and stress, but I ultimately trusted in just you know all I can do is speak for my feelings, my truth, what happened to me and my story and hope that it makes a difference.”
“So, I would try to push through that anxiety. And I was very lucky that the cast around me, and the crew of the show, the people at the top, they were all very supportive, and it was very affirming.”
As the show progressed, she became a fan favourite and won fans and her campmates over with her positivity and kindness.
The other celebrities also taught her something about herself.
“I think when the people around me helped me see that I was more capable than I was letting myself believe, truly, that’s how encouraging and beautiful everyone was,” she explained, adding that their kind words helped her “chip away” at her inner critic.
Even though she has not watched much of the show due to her breakfast radio schedule, she said having it recorded to revisit was a “beautiful gift”.
Following her time in the jungle, Concetta hopes to do more live performances and opportunities to connect with people, as well as work in TV.
Was the 2026 I’m A Celebrity final live?
While the winner was crowned on Sunday, February 22, filming actually wrapped in the South African jungle on December 23.
In a surprising change, the 2026 series was prerecorded by Channel 10, rather than broadcasting live, meaning that three different endings had to be filmed, but only one aired after the public vote.
“The final three left South Africa not knowing who’s won,” an insider previously told New Idea. “Australia still get to vote, and whichever ending matches the public’s choice is the one that goes to air.”
Unlike previous years, the final wasn’t filmed live, but Concetta, Gary and Luke didn’t know who had won until the Channel 10 episode finally aired.
“It’s clever,” the source says. “The cast still feels the pressure, the audience still gets their vote, and production gets the flexibility of a pre-recorded season.”
However, the cast were forced to keep all the action from the jungle a secret for weeks between filming and the series’ air date to ensure there were still surprises in store for viewers.
“They’ll have to sit on it for weeks,” the source laughs. “No spoilers, no slip-ups. The winner won’t know until Australia decides.”
