Shock reason celebrity chef George Calombaris signed up for I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

George Calombaris is stepping into the South African jungle in a move that marks his most public return to the spotlight since his dramatic fall from grace.

The controversial chef and former MasterChef Australia judge will appear as an intruder on I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, and insiders say the decision is about far more than reality TV exposure.

After years defined by scandal, business collapses and relentless public scrutiny, Calombaris has admitted he sees the jungle as a chance to finally tell his side of the story.

'In a way, if you want to call it redemption, yeah a little bit of that,' he told The Daily Telegraph.

The 47-year-old's hospitality empire famously unravelled in 2019 when his MAdE Establishment Group was ordered to repay $7.8 million in staff underpayments and fined $200,000 after more than 500 workers were affected.

The scandal ended his long-running role on MasterChef and turned him into one of the most divisive figures in Australian food.

But Calombaris insists the label that followed him was harder to stomach than the financial hit.

'The most hurtful part of what I went through was being tagged a thief,' he said, describing the accusation as deeply at odds with the values instilled in him by his parents.

Following the collapse of his Melbourne-based empire, Calombaris relocated his family to Sydney in 2023 after entering a high-profile business partnership with now-bankrupt pub baron Jon Adgemis.

The arrangement saw him involved in several venues including Alpha, the Empire Hotel and Hotel Diplomat.

Meanwhile, his final Sydney venue, Gazi Supper Club in Darlinghurst, shut its doors in December, while industry whispers suggest his Melbourne restaurant, The Hellenic House Project, may also be on the market.

Reflecting on the period, Calombaris described the personal toll as brutal.

'It was horrendous and something I never want my worst enemy to go through,' he said.

Despite the setbacks, the Melbourne-born chef insists he has gained perspective, repeatedly pointing out that others face far worse circumstances than financial ruin.

The celebrity chef's hospitality group MAdE was forced to backpay all current and former employees who had been underpaid on wages.

After the announcement, MasterChef viewers called for Calombaris to be axed from the hit Channel 10 show, while Unions NSW started a petition to get him fired.

Now, as he joins 12 contestants already enduring jungle life in South Africa, Calombaris says his motivation is less about winning viewers over and more about setting an example for his children. 

While he maintains his life is 'in a really good place', the jungle offers something he has not had in years – a platform to confront the narrative head-on, away from courtrooms, boardrooms and restaurant closures.