‘He was home to me’: US gossip guru’s teary ode to Miguel

US gossip guru Perez Hilton was overwhelmed with emotion during an interview on The Project, breaking down in tears as he gushed over Miguel Maestre.

He may be known for his celebrity feuds, but there’s one Aussie star gossip guru Perez Hilton will be singing the praises of for years to come, if his ode to Miguel Maestre on The Project is anything to go by.

Launching an emotional plea to Australia to ensure Maestre is crowned ‘king of the jungle’, Hilton was brought to howling tears as he discussed his admiration of the celebrity chef.

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Perez Hilton was overcome with emotion on The Project. Picture: Channel 10.

The internationally-renowned gossip columnist – whose mad dash from the campsite on Monday night left the remaining contestants scratching their heads – couldn’t contain his emotion as he gushed over the star.

With tears streaming down his face, he begged voters to keep Maestre in the competition, with The Project panel left speechless.

“I have met Madonna. I have met Oprah Winfrey. I have met some of the most phenomenal people alive. I am not going to cry. Hold on an sec,” Hilton said, turning away from the camera to compose himself.

“Miguel is one of the most phenomenal inspiring people that I have ever met,” he continued, unable to fight back his tears.

“He was home to me. He was healing to me. He is the heart of that camp and I just – I just pray that everybody watching today and every day gets it right and he wins. He really needs to win,” he said, wiping his eyes.

Hilton’s eyes filled with tears as he described why Maestre deserves the win. Picture: Channel 10.

Openly crying as he continued his effusive praise of the star, he said in reference to Maestre’s Spanish heritage: “To me, Miguel is just as much an Australian as anybody else in that camp and the most deserving person to win.”

Project host Carrie Bickmore chimed in, telling Hilton, “We love him too.”

“It is an emotional experience. I’m still very emotional,” Hilton responded.

Speaking immediately after his eviction on Monday night, camp intruder Hilton opened up about finding it difficult to break through the strong bond already formed between contestants.

He told hosts Julia and Chris he was expecting the stars to be more welcoming.

Throughout his time on the show, he notably clashed with Married At First Sight alum Ryan Gallagher, with tensions between the two palpable even after they’d patched things up.

“Ryan was picking fights with me consistently, he wanted to get screen time that had nothing to do with Charlotte,” Hilton told Julia and Chris.

Perez Hilton and Ryan Gallagher didn’t seem to get along. Picture: Supplied.

Speaking to news.com.au today, he said of Maestre: “Miguel is the heart of the camp and Rhonda is the soul. While soulfulness is powerful and a beautiful thing, without the heart and blood you’re going to die. That’s how important he is to that camp and every single person in there.”

Hilton added that the win would mean more to Maestre whose confidence was dealt a blow after his appearance on Dancing With The Stars last year.

“He confided in me that after being voted out first on Dancing With The Stars, it really got to him,” Hilton told news.com.au.

“He told me that after Dancing With the Stars, any request that he received to do something that was not cooking related, he turned them all down for six months.

“It would mean so much to him to win,” Hilton added.

I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! continues tomorrow night from 7.30pm on Ten.