His tantrums, vanity and selfish behaviour have made him the I’m A Celebrity contestant people love to hate.

But according to those who know him, David Van Day is kind, caring and considerate – and is playing the role of panto villain purely to entertain.

The former Eighties singer in Dollar and Bucks Fizz has made few friends since he entered the Australian jungle.

He has been ridiculed for laziness around the camp, spraying his hair with insect repellent, offending fellow celebs and claiming the best beds.

But in the eyes of the public he has become one of the most popular unpopular contestants in the ITV show’s history.

And last night, as The Argus went to press, it was revealed Brighton-born Van Day, 52, who lives in Woodruff Avenue, Hove, has been tipped by many to win. Speaking exclusively to The Argus yesterday, his agent Paula Seabourne- Pearson revealed that David acted the villain because “he feels it is necessary for the show”.

She said: “He’s a pure entertainer and my whole mission statement when getting him in the jungle was that David is hilarious.

“He is naturally very funny, clever and kind. But his whole strategy is to entertain. He won’t allow a dull moment. He does genuinely talk to himself and is really a larger than life character.

It’s a shame people aren’t seeing the lovely side of David. But he will be happy with his performance because he’s a professional who wants to entertain.”

Van Day, dubbed Burger Van Day because he flipped beef patties in Brighton town centre, also made a good impression on some city politicians. Councillor Brian Oxley was leader of Brighton and Hove Tories when Van Day unsuccessfully ran for the East Brighton seat in May last year.

He said: “He was always very easy to get on with and had a strong interest in civic matters. As a candidate he was perfectly OK to work with and very committed to representing the area. Because of his background, he comes across very well to people.

“He would have made a good councillor.”

Keep up to date with all the latest jungle antics at theargus.co.uk/celebrity.