I'm A Celebrity winner Morgan Burtwistle, known as AngryGinge, broke down on Instagram Tuesday after revealing that his mother Michelle's house in Manchester burned down,killing her two cats and a rabbit. The 24-year-old YouTuber said he received the call about the fire on Sunday morning, just hours before he was due to play in the Soccer Aid charity match, according to the report. In a video posted from the charred remains of the living room, Burtwistle identified the lost pets as Simba, Herbert, and Sparky, and expressed relief that his mother was not at home at the time.
The £12,500-a-year upbringing behind the public face
Burtwistle's emotional disclosure comes against the backdrop of a childhood shaped by financial hardship. The source notes that Michelle raised Morgan and his sister on a council estate in Salford, working multiple jobs — including as a cleaner and in a care home — to bring in approximately £12,500 a year. She previously told The Daily Mail that she kept him busy with after-school activities to steer him away from local gangs. this context, as reported, adds weight to the close bond between mother and son, which was a recurring theme during his time on I'm A Celebrity.
The call that came hours before kickoff
According to the source, Burtwistle learned of the fire on the morning of Sunday, June 11, just before he participated in Soccer Aid, a charity match raising money for UNICEF. Despite the devastating news, he played and his team won the trophy. In his Instagram video, he explained that the house fire occurred in the early hours,while his mother was not present. He said: "The main thing is that my mum is obviously, she is okay... If my mum was in the house, she wouldn't have made it out." The timing underscores the emotional whiplash of performing publicly while privately grappling with loss.
Three pets named: Simba, Herbert, and Sparky
In the raw footage from the burned home, Burtwistle named the deceased animals — two cats and a rabbit — as Simba, Herbert,and Sparky. "They obviously didn't survive... rest in peace," he said, according to the report. the specificity of the names and the visible ruin of the living room give the tragedy a personal dimension that resonates beyond typical celebrity news. The pets were, as he noted, "unbelievable cats and rabbits" that he had lived with while staying with his mother in Bacup.
What remains unknown about the fire's origin
The source does not provide details about how the fire started or whether an official investigation is underway. It is unclear if the house was insured or what the family's immediate housing situation is. Burtwistle said he will keep fans updated and may go live when possible, but no timeline for recovery or investigation has been given. These gaps leave viewers with questions about the full scale of the loss — both emotional and material — that the family now faces.
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