Just for sheer devilment, given the consensus of the vocal majority that Charlie ONLY won because she's British and/or has a child and/or stars in Eastenders, I just thought I'd start a thread so that those of us who preferred Charlie to Ashley could say why.

I'm paraphrasing other posters who have mentioned the below, so I'm sure they'll forgive me. Mostly, however, these are my own observations.

1. Charlie was very witty. I like wit. Ashley was very funny in the 'monster' sketch - but that was completely handed to her. Wit trumps smiley funny for me any day of the week.

2. Charlie is very articulate. I also like articulate; she had an interesting way with words and I liked to hear her speak. I was entirely frustrated in the early weeks at how little we actually heard of her. Contrary to the majority opinion on her, she got an 'is she still in there?' edit until the very latter stages.

3. Charlie didn't suffer Helen as obsequiously as the rest of them and for that she won my complete admiration. She wasn't mean about or to her (that was Eric). She didn't patronise her (that was Nadine). She was honest with her and honest with us about how blinking hungry she was and how exasperating it was to see madam swan back in after failing abysmally - yet again. I loved her honesty. She got hacked off - of course she did, any normal person would in that situation.

4. Charlie clearly adores her daughter but (again, contrary to the received wisdom of DSIAC) I don't recall her even mentioning her until the producers introduced the potential of a phonecall home. Then, despite Ashley jumping up and down like a cheerleader on speed and drawing all the attention to herself (not the only time she did that), she graciously accepted that she didn't get the call. That was probably the moment that cemented my preference for Charlie over Ashley; that, and Charlie's handling of Helen which was much more relatable and understandable than the Ashley towel incident (which I thought Ashley milked; she had a towel - just go and shower, woman).

5. Charlie didn't feel the need to diss her former colleagues as publicly and pointedly as Ashley did. I did not like that one bit - very snakey.

6. Charlie was brilliant in the tasks and was clearly terrified - but put her heart and soul into it. She was also very funny with the empty retching - though I did watch that bit from behind a cushion.

7. Overall, I think Charlie was incredibly genuine and is someone I'd like to be friends with. Ashley - I don't really feel I know at all. I thought she played it like Survivor and came across, for the most part, incredibly well. But I have my doubts.

I'll vote for that Patsy

I'll be argumentative... for the sakes of casting an alternate view; because I think your list is as BS as those who say Charlie won because she is British.


I don't think Charlie won because she is British or due to Kiki (though I think that story helped garner her fans), I think the EE thing helped a great deal and secured it for her though.

I think she went in with the right kind of fanbase, so had a head start and being quiet and nice got her quite a few fans.

I think they were probably about even in the vote and the win itself (over Ashley) came in the context of the casual viewer on the final (or last few days) who got behind her because they knew who she was or liked her in EE. I think thats a reasonable expectation and is in no way a sleight against Charlie who I don't see as a bad winner, just not my preferred (she was my 3rd choice).


FTR I know quite a few people who weren't watching the show but watched the last few days and got behind Charlie automatically as she is such a good actress, nothing like Janine and didn't like Ashley due to preconceptions of what she would be - due to PCD; I'm sure you can imagine what ideas some who have not viewed the show may have.


This happens with all reality shows (in one context or another) and why the winner often doesn't reflect the longer term favourite unless there is something hugely compelling between them.



I don't get that, but fair enough. I'm curious as to what she said that was witty as I can't think of anything off hand. I can think of about 4 others who made me laugh much more than Charlie did. The person who actually made me laugh the most was probably Helen and peoples reactions to her (although that's laughing in the wrong way).

What I found funny about Ashley was her general persona and how she articulated herself and reacted to things, which is a totally different type of funny but was more resonating (IMO) - one of those people who just make you smile.



Everyone got an "are they still there" edit in the first week due to Helen, it was annoying.

Charlie didn't seem to get as much screen time in the edit as Ashley, Hugo, Eric and David (in around that order). This made it difficult for me to feel any affinity to her.

I also found Charlie to lack presence while Ashley had presence and a coolness about her. I think this helped make her more relateable.

Both Charlie and Ashley are articulate women, their media training and the fact they are both savvy showed in spades though. I think Ashley had an edge over Charlie on those stakes though.



Yeah Charlie lost her rag (in reasonable terms) with Helen, thats fair enough. +1 Charlie I guess.

I would like to bring up that this could be reversed. The two things that won me over towards Ashley were her positive attitude and the coolness. There is a strongness about Ashley and the positive attitude she showed would make her less likely to snap. I see that as a positive.



The Kiki thing didn't bother me in the slightest. The only thing that made me raise an eyebrow was the run out at the end, not because of vote changing (it happened far too late to likely affect the result) but because it seemed manipulative and sickly. Thats ITV though.

The kiki story however will have endeared people to Charlie and will have had an affect on her popularity, to say that it wouldn't is just silly. I think overall it will have had a fairly significant affect.



Complete and total exaggeration there, and a slight adapting of events.

The phone call was a group decision, Ashley calmly put forward her case and handed it to the others and when they agreed it should be Ashley, she looked to Charlie for confirmation that she was cool with it. Rewatch it.

The towel incident again was a non starter; Helen used her towel and Ashley requested she sort it out so she had a clean towel, which is fair enough. It was all of 5 seconds, hardly milked.



Again, I feel this is over egging the situation and she is within her rights to say why PCD split and it's not like she didn't say anything that wasn't already very well in the public domain. I know very little about PCD but knew the split had something to do with the label pushing Nicole.



I think they both did really well at their tasks and showed they were tough women. Ashley had more of a "warriorness" about her in that final eating trial though. I personally find characters like David who attack the trials more impressive than those who freak out and push through.



That's fair enough.

1. Ashley made me genuinely laugh out loud with some of her comment like 'Its smells like a Rhino butt hole". Always saidwith a smile. Ashleys face is also very expressive so she can be visually funny too.

2 So is Ashley. Some have complained that throws in Spanish words etc but you never misunderstand her and she often has adds a comic touch to her comment.

3 So was Ash. Ash encouraged Helen in the third task by simply telling her that she;s got to get in there shut everything out and get on with. Charlie did the some of her complaining behind Helens back I dont remember Ash bitching behind Helens back

4 Has been talked to death on this forum and as has been pointed out (correctly) Ash simply put her case forward and even offered to give up the call to Charlie. What more was she supposed to do?

5. She makes one comment in three weeks of coverage and you call that a diss? Also, why did ITV show the comment when Nicole is technically an ITV employee. I dont think anyone can draw conclusions from one comment that lasted less than a minute when we had three continuous weeks of coverage.

6. Was Ashley not good in the task? She was clearly scared of snakes and hated the gooey stuff but still at the end of the train task when she was covered in garbage she came out cracking jokes. She's faultless on her task contribution.

7. Ash played it well - I will agree - but she went from being an unknown pretty girl to the campers to gaining the respect of the two alpha male world championship sportsmen in David Haye and Eric Bristow. For that alone she deserved to win.

OP everyone likes different people for different reasons .Everyone has good and bad points , everyone laughs at differnt things , everyone feels a bond to one and not to another
I liked Charlie , I prefered Ashley , I would have rathered Ashley won , she didnt so I see no reason to point out Charlies faults and just say Well Done
Ashley made me laugh out loud on many occasion, her face is very expressive and even her "No , I didnt like the optic nerve " to Dec was said dead pan and I laughed out loud .People are amused by diffeent things
Your post only shows why you voted or wanted her to win who knows why others voted for her .

I do not think she came across at all well. She was a bit like her tv character very dismissive.

I disagree about her fan base, we have heard very little about Charlies own personality although she was very good to win Christmas Strictly Come Dancing and I thought she was going to be in it this year but was wrong.

Janine was a murdering bitch, throughout EE and could have lost her votes as she was not a vote catcher in any sense of the word so all the votes were for how Charlie was herself in the jungle and not from a fan base such as a singer or footballer would have.

OP, I do like a lot of your post. But as someone who was equally cool with any of the final three winning, I do have to take issue to the 'Ashley milking the towel' thing. She didn't. She was understandably miffed at coming back, all gooey and insecty and finding that Lady Helen had not only used her towel (along with about three others!), she also appeared to think that the towel fairy would wash them as they were all still on her bunk. I thought she was remarkably restrained under the circumstances. I think I'd have laid into Helen there and then about how irresponsible and selfish and just plain lazy that was!

I thought both ladies were brilliant. In fact, so much so that when it came to the winner, whichever one won I knew I'd be pleased but equally I would want the other one to triumph! I actually wish that they'd had two Queens of the Jungle because they both deserved it.

Disagree with OP. Most of your post in blowing things out of proportion. Ashley dragging on the towel thing? How exactly? And as for Charlie being witty. Did I miss this? She was bitchy.

Neah, I don't think it will have worked like that. I bet when the voting results appear Charlie will have been at the business end of the popularity stakes right from the start.

The thing is though it shouldn't have even bee n a Charlie v Ashley thing.

Charlie should have gone days ago.

I didn't find Charley witty in the slightest but I really thought Ashley was funny.

Each to their own.

She didnt have a Kiki standing behind a door

It would be interesting to know the results, perhaps we are all wide of the mark or it might be down to the wire.

I never believe it when they say that, it is just to rustle up more votes, more votes, more money for the programme makers.

Aye, she only had a pizza behind the door. This sounds like a job for Harry Hill!

"Now I like Kiki...but then I also like pizza" etc.

Is not a good thread title for what you did here.

Of course you were probably just wanting your own stage to post another "Why Charlie Won" thread...

So you did just that. You created another "Why Charlie Won" thread. Another hilariously overly-analytical rundown of this and that and nuanced nonsense and nonsensical nuance and it's all anewly new!

Charlie won because she has more fans among those who live in the UK and vote themselves silly in hopes of influencing the silly outcomes of silly people doing silly things on silly gameshows.

Jesus I cant believe people are still talking about it! Its over we've had our winner now lets get back to real life and get ready for the disappointments of Christmas Telly!!

The ambiguity of the thread title was intentional. It was supposed to be a counterpoint to the 764 threads that were up a couple of days ago all saying exactly the same thing about why Charlie won. I'm taking it that you didn't read the opening post as you seem to have entirely missed the point.

You really need to calm down, by the way - it's only a bit of fun.

The thread was started two days ago!!!!! Maybe you should stop visiting the IAC board if it's upsetting you so much!!!!!

Hi Heavenly. No, I didn't find Ashley funny - lovely, but not funny. The monster thing was hilarious, but that was scripted. She was told what to do and she did it well. Good actress.

Charlie, on the other hand, I found very dry and acerbic. Even just in the last episode we had "I'm so very proud" when she finished the eating task and, "It's like watching porno after having sex" about the big meal. There were loads of other examples (though they were blink and you'd miss it in most cases). I remember her being milked for support by Helen, yet again, and telling her if she didn't bring back some stars they'd all kick her arse. Charlie tickled my funny bone.


Ashley had a clean towel; so clearly there were some clean towels. She blew it out of proportion by A) pointing out how many dirty towels were on Helen's bed to the maximum audience. I thought that was a bit mean girl, to be honest. B) Telling her to wash the towel - again - in front of everybody else. She could have left that until she got back from her shower and could speak to Helen on her own. Or, she could have not said it at all. Again, very mean girl. But it was brushed off on here because, in typical DS style, the 'chosen one' cannot be criticised AT ALL. It's very irritating.

Re witty - see reply above.

Very fair posts, both. I didn't really find the optic nerve thing funny. She just said she didn't like it - I think 'she said it so deadpan' is a bit, meh. But I really did like Ashley.

I agree largely with you both but the board was SO pro Ashley and anti Charlie that I thought the thread would make a nice counterpoint - particularly to the thread after thread about the three REAL reasons Charlie won.

Can't disagree with much of that, to be fair. People keep commenting on Ashley smiling all the time - I don't like that. It's just not something I can relate to. She's often praised also, for how 'cool' she is. I saw it as 'controlled'. I felt we got to know Charlie (though her time on screen was so much less) better than we did Ashley. That's my main reason for preferring Charlie.

Ashley was funny, in a very typical American manner. They are very in your face, and not very sarcastic like us. I prefer our sense of humour to the Yanks and by default preferred Charlie and Eric.

Ashley's bitching abt Pussycat Dolls was strange. And to name Nicole? And say thats why they broke up? Very bad. Lost all respect.

I was tempted to stop reading at the bit in bold, to be fair.

But anyway..............

I think I've addressed most of what you've raised in other responses. On the pre-conceptions; I think that's a good point. I don't watch Eastenders but I know who the Pussycat Dolls are. I would probably have more regard for an actress than I would for a member of the Pussycat Dolls, to be completely fair. But I liked both. My favourite all through was Hugo, followed by Charlie and Ashley.

As I've said above, the coolness and 'warriorness' as you put it, put me off.

Also, just on a point of clarification, I'm sure she spoke at some length about the Pussycat Dolls thing at least twice. Colin seemed to know all about it and referred to it on a number of occasions and I saw Ashley address it on two separate occasions.

I completely disagree about the phone call.

IAC always picks out its 'stars' and gives them all the airtime. Helen, Hugo, Rosemary, Ashley and Eric were the stars this time round; Charlie and Limahl got the least airtime; Charlie was obviously seen as the least glamorous of the three young woman, the quietest and the one whose only use was to hope she would say something bitchy. When she didn't, she had to wait for Helen to go before she got any attention and we could see what they were actually like.


I think that compares poorly with "it's like watching porn after sex", which was genuinely witty.
Once they are there, their background counts for nothing at all with their fellow contestants. Do you suppose anyone started off with a prejudice against Helen? Charlie had to win the sportsmen round just as much as Ashley did. They both succeeded, as the very warm tributes to them showed. See how they both commented on how warm and strong Charlie was?

And you are on an I'm A Celebrity forum...why?

I am sure it was the main reason more people preferred Charlie. We like our celebrities to blush and shake and say "it looks as if I've pissed myself", not to look as if they have never had a moment's self doubt in their lives. Ashley did surprisingly well for a woman so cool and unworried by everything.