'Get me out' Lydon quits TV jungle
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Lydon: String of obscenities
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LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Former Sex Pistol John Lydon has quit the British hit reality show "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here", a day after ITV was forced to apologize for his profanity-laced tirade on live television.
Lydon, known as Johnny Rotten in his Pistols days, walked off the Australian jungle set shortly after midday (0300 GMT), an ITV spokeswoman said.
"He has been fantastic entertainment on the show and viewers and his fellow celebrities have found him to be an endearing, eccentric and sensitive character," she added.
"We respect his decision to quit and hope we haven't seen the last of him."
She declined to comment on the events surrounding the former punk star's departure, but said it was hoped the 47-year-old would appear on Thursday's show to explain his decision.
Lydon had been the bookmakers' favorite to win the show, a variation on the Big Brother theme involving a group of well-known faces brought together in the Australian jungle.
No stranger to blue language on television, he forced ITV to apologize for his behavior on Wednesday after unleashing a string of obscenities at viewers for not voting him off.
ITV later put in place a tape delay on the live feed after receiving complaints from the public.
"I'm a Celebrity..." has been a big hit with British viewers, pulling in a nightly audience of around 10 million people, according to unofficial figures.
With Lydon gone, bookmaker William Hill installed former pop star Kerry McFadden, 23, and convicted fraudster Lord Charles Brocket, 52, as joint favorites.
Copyright 2004
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
