Dean McCullough, the star of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, has opened up about his harrowing experience with homelessness.
The 32-year-old spoke candidly on Good Morning Britain this Wednesday (December 18), discussing the often overlooked issue of hidden homelessness and his own struggles as a child.
In a heartfelt interview with hosts Richard Madeley and Kate Garraway via video link, Dean recounted not having a permanent home during his youth.
He shared: “From my own personal experience, we were homeless whenever I was younger. My mum was forced out of the home and I went with her, and we shared a bedroom and we shared a sofa.”
Despite maintaining a semblance of normalcy, attending school and being well-fed, Dean admitted: “At the time, I was going to school, I was getting dressed up every day, I was fed well, and we were surprisingly quite happy and made the most of that situation and at the time, I wouldn’t have called that homeless,” reports .
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The star spoke about ‘hidden homelessness’ (Image: ITV)
It was only after collaborating with Centre Point, an organisation dedicated to eradicating child homelessness, that Dean recognised the gravity of his past situation.
The radio presenter elaborated: “It wasn’t until I started working with them – they didn’t know about my homelessness story – and to be honest with you, I didn’t understand the experience I had until we started working together.”
Dean also revealed that his housing instability continued into adulthood, especially while living in London: “I shared with them as well that whenever I was living in London, between performing contracts and other bits and bobs, I didn’t have a fixed address. For quite a lot of my time living in London, I was moving from house to house.”
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Dean shared his story on Good Morning Britain (Image: ITV)
He elaborated: “Some of those houses that I lived in were quite volatile, you know housemates of mine were using drugs and alcohol and I got caught up in that world as well. Sometimes I would go on Thursday and stay out all weekend going from party to party, friend’s house to friend’s house – just so I wouldn’t be in that volatile environment.”
Dean’s candid account resonated with viewers at home, prompting an outpouring of support on social media platform X. One viewer expressed their frustration, saying: “Homelessness was suspended during , we know all governments can end it if they wanted to.”
Another praised Dean’s focus on the broader issue: “So glad that guy Dean spoke about the ‘hidden’ homelessness of sofa surfing and temporary work contracts, there’s not enough known about it. Well done to him also for preferring to stick to discussing causes and preventions of homelessness and not be led by TV hosts’ agenda.”
Good Morning Britain airs Mondays-Fridays from 6am on ITV1.