Tennis bad boy Bernard Tomic joins I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!: ‘I’m here to change my life’

SICK of the bad boy image that has overshadowed his sporting ­car­eer, tennis bad boy Bernard Tomic has headed to the I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! jungle in the hopes that the public will finally learn who he truly is.

HE has money. He has fame. All tennis brat Bernard Tomic is seeking is redemption.

Sick of the bad boy image that has overshadowed his sporting ­car­eer, all the abrasive Aussie star wants when he enters the jungle tonight for the fourth season of I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! is for people to finally learn who he truly is.

“This is reality nothing can hide,” Tomic said before heading into the South African camp. “This is 24-hour cameras and you are on your own and the public can see who you really are.

“People know me as this tennis player that is crazy and has done this or that, or has problems. “Hopefully I get the chance to change their image about me on this show and that is one of the reasons I’m doing it.

“It is not for the money. I am doing this because it is something I always wanted to do in my life.”

Tennis badboy Bernard Tomic hopes he can change your mind of him as he appears on reality show I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! Picture: Nigel Wright.

Away from the tennis court, Tomic doesn’t live up to the arrogant party boy image he has earned, which has included comments such as the one he made earlier this month. When asked what he would do after failing to qualify for the Australian Open, he bragged, “I count my millions.”

With the benefit of hindsight he now admits, “I regretted it about five minutes after.

“I think I just used it as a defence mechanism after the match I lost … I was really wanting to qualify for the Open and unfortunately I lost.

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“In the heat of the moment, within that minute I was walking back to the locker rooms, they came towards me and I was not in the right frame of mind. I used it as a defence mechanism, like a turtle that goes back into its shell. It is one thing in Australia people don’t like — when you talk about money or what you have, and when you brag — and somehow I seem to always find that, which maybe isn’t the smart thing to do.”

That comment was just one in a long line of controversies. Last year he claimed he was “bored” and had never loved tennis, saying he only ever put in 50 per cent of effort.

Tomic said this was something he has always wanted to do. Picture: Nigel Wright

In 2015, Tomic was arrested in Miami for resisting arrest and trespassing. Picture: Supplied

On another occasion in 2012, police fined Tomic three times in a day for traffic offences and he was put on a 12-month good behaviour bond.

In 2015 he was arrested in Miami for resisting arrest and trespassing. The charges were later dropped.

“There is this image about me that I am this bad sort of sportsman but I’m not,” Tomic said.

“There are ­unreal expectations of me, to win 20 Grand Slams or whatever, and ­obviously I have done a bit of stuff throughout the years where I’ve said wrong things and done wrong things and had many incidents, and ­obviously that is not the best thing I could have done.

“They (the media) caught me at the wrong times and they are really good when they catch you. There isn’t a rule book.

“I am happy I am doing this (I’m A Celebrity) because they can’t control it and it is just you, you are open and you enjoy the show. There are so many things that are a plus for me.”

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Tomic, 25, could spend up to six weeks in the jungle with a group of well-known Australians, including three-time premiership-winning AFL player Josh Gibson. The full cast will be revealed on Channel 10 tonight.

The other big motivation for Tomic for taking part is supporting a charity, something he admits he hasn’t done a lot of to date.

Whoever wins the series secures $100,000 for their charity. For Tomic that is Ronald McDonald House.

Three-time premiership-winning AFL player Josh Gibson will also be heading into the jungle tonight. Picture: Nigel Wright

“That is on the top of my mind, to win for them,” he said. “I haven’t done much charity work in my career so far, so for me it is something I want to do. It is a perfect way to start here and try to win for my charity.

“For me it is going to be an amazing experience regardless of what anybody has said over the past month. I am happy I am doing this.

“I chose Ronald McDonald House because it is helping sick kids and their families. Kids don’t know about money — they don’t care, they don’t know and we as adults have a responsibility. It is meaningful to do something like this and to play for them.” Tomic and his camp mates will live off basic rations of beans, rice and oats while competing in physical challenges to secure extra food.

He came under fire only weeks ago for his comments after he bombed out of the Australian Open qualifying match final. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith

“It is going to be super tough,” he said.

“I am scared of everything. I am scared of heights, spiders and snakes and cockroaches. Ugh. I am probably not the best person with anything.

“It will be mind over matter. I think the mind is going to have to be powerful for me. There are going to be challenges that are super tough that maybe some of us can’t do.”

Tucker Chewsday’s, in which contestants are forced to eat gross fare such as offal or insects, will also be hard for Tomic.

“That is messed up,” he said.

“I am not the best person with anything on the show, with having snakes on you or cockroaches or spiders, it is the worst. It is a challenge, so I will see.”

Known for being hot-headed, Tomic hopes to keep his cool regardless of the pressures the celebrities face. In past seasons, contestants have come to blows over issues such as food portions and chores.

Tomic is afraid of creepy crawlies but will try and keep a cool head while he is on the show. Picture: Nigel Wright

The show will air tonight on Channel 10 at 7:30pm, which will be hosted by Chris Brown and Julia Morris. Picture: Nigel Wright

“In the real world I go straight at it,” he said.

“But I am not in there to make problems with people, to make arguments. They are all obviously successful, well-spoken people.

“I am in there to have a good ­experience, to change my life and meet new people and enjoy the time. If there is conflict in there, I’m probably going to walk away.”

As for his love life, Tomic is newly single after splitting from model girlfriend Emma Blake-Hahnel. So a jungle romance isn’t out of the question.

“We were together for maybe a year-and-a-half,” he said.

“Now I am single, I don’t know, we will see. Whatever happens, I know there are cameras on you 24 hours a day, so there are limits.”

Jonathon Moran is in South Africa as a guest of Channel 10.