'Vegan' I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star Fleur East and has been eating meat for months, her father has revealed.

She ditched her vegan diet once she decided to go into the Australian jungle to get in training for the show's Bushtucker Trials, the 31-year-old Sax singer's dad said.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline after his daughter was blasted by fans for tucking into wallaby legs after just 48 hours in the jungle, Malcolm East explained that she spent the past two months reintroducing meat to her diet ahead of the show.

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New diet: 'Vegan' I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! star Fleur East and has been eating meat for months, her father has revealed, after she was seen eating wallaby on the show

He said: ‘She chose to go vegan as a lifestyle choice about two years ago, not for religious reasons, but because she’s heavily into health and fitness and because she saw the way animals were slaughtered on a video. So she said, “Let’s have a go at living on a vegetable-based diet."

When I’m A Celebrity approached her two months back about going into the jungle she knew she’d have to do something about not eating meat, otherwise the body would react to what she ate when she was out there.

'So that’s what she did. She ate meat again. And in the jungle you’ve got no choice about what you eat have you?’

Confusing: Sax singer Fleur was clearly seen chowing down on a wallaby leg on Monday night's episode of the show, with the camera zooming in on her meal

Her doting dad told how she had also reduced the size of her stomach over the last month so that ‘she wasn’t craving food all day long there’.

He continued: ‘In the month before she went in she had been reducing her stomach size so that she’s not craving food all day long. She was like that about eating meat.

‘When she went on X Factor she would practice singing while running on a treadmill so that she could combine singing and dancing, which no one else could do like her on the show.

‘She’s got the determination and the personality that will step up to any challenge. I don’t think that she was particularly daunted by the prospect of I’m A Celebrity.’

Plant-based: Former X Factor contestant Fleur embraced a vegan diet at the end of last year after watching documentary What The Health on Netflix

Malcolm told how she also had had ‘creative differences’ with Simon Cowell – just like girl band Little Mix suggested recently when they quit his management team - which had ultimately led to her split from working with Syco following her making it to the final of ITV’s X Factor series in 2014.

He said: ‘She always got on well with Simon Cowell. She had a Number One when she was on X Factor, which has never happened before. Then she had an album and a single from that album would have gone to Number One but they decided to release it at Christmas.

‘After that her and Simon couldn’t see eye-to-eye about what type of music they were doing and I think that’s when they decided that she would leave amicably.

‘She still gets on well with him whenever they link up at awards, they always have a chat or a drink.

Thoughts: After she was seen eating meat, viewers flocked to Twitter to share their thoughts

‘She realises that she’s not 21, so she’s got to step out there by doing things like I’m A Celebrity and do what she can while she can.’

And while he jokingly reprimanded his postman on not watching his daughter in the jungle, he told how he watched Fleur’s debut on the hit show on Sunday, alongside his other daughter Keshia, 26.

When asked if he was proud of his daughter, he added: ‘What do you think?

‘She’s got such a personality. She still has a connection with everyone with everyone that she’s met. That’s the type of girl she is. I’m sure that she’ll go far.’

His comments come a day after Fleur’s Twitter account was forced to clarify her stance on veganism following outrage from fans at the sight of her eating a wallaby wing.

Hypocritical? Outraged fans have taken to Twitter to query the consumption of meat - just 48 hours into life in camp

A message on Fleur's Twitter was posted on Tuesday, clarifying: 'Fleur is not a vegan. For health reasons she has in the past followed a vegan diet, but she is not adhering to this in the jungle. She has always eaten meat throughout her life.'

It followed posts including: 'On the vegan I'm A Celeb front, it's interesting to see how much you can buy someone's morals for.'

Another shared: 'Unsure why 3 vegans even wanted to go on I’m A Celeb when it’s a show that exists on exploiting animals? Where’s their vegan morals regarding that?'

'The vegan celebs on I’m A Celeb making a deal abt being vegan then eating meat casually on the first day for no reason', a third wrote.

Reintroduction: Her dad, Malcolm East, explained to MailOnline that the singer spent the past two months reintroducing meat to her diet ahead of the show

A fourth raged: 'All these vegans on I’m A Celeb not wanting to do ‘animal challenges’ but will happily eat meat for their dinner bmt #imaceleb2018'.

Last year, Amir Khan was given special halal rations during his stint on I'm A Celeb to keep his diet in line with his Muslim faith.

A host of past contestants over the years have had special vegan or vegetarian requirements, including Shappi Khorsandi last year.

This isn't a new issue; in the first ever series Tony Blackburn and Uri Geller were both strict vegetarians.

Magician Uri was voted to eat live maggots during a Bushtucker Trial, and Tony said would lose respect for him if he went through with it - which he did.

Needs: Bosses on the show have been known to accommodate stars' dietary needs in the past

The radio DJ went on to win the series - despite refusing to eat any critters during the challenges.

It was previously reported that show bosses were seeking alternative ways for contestants to compete for food for the camp due to the dietary requirements of several stars this year.

It had been claimed that Coronation Street's Sair Khan and Vamps guitarist James McVey are vegans.

However, James is in fact a strict vegetarian and will be sticking to his regime in the jungle, avoiding the meat on offer and instead eating more rice and vegetables.

Co-star Nick Knowles also describes himself as a semi-vegetarian.

Not a vegan! Contrary to reports, Sair Khan does not follow a vegan diet - meaning the only vegan in the jungle was Fleur, before she was seen eating wallaby

However, a source told MailOnline that accommodating vegetarians and vegans on the show is nothing new, explaining for the show: 'They've always had vegetarians and vegans campmates from series one onwards.

'Notably Shappi Khorsandi from last series was a vegan. If celebrities don't want to eat food on the trial they can chose not to take part in trial.'

A message on Fleur's Twitter was posted on Tuesday, clarifying: 'Fleur is not a vegan. For health reasons she has in the past followed a vegan diet, but she is not adhering to this in the jungle. She has always eaten meat throughout her life.'

It has also been claimed that Vamps guitarist James McVey and Coronation Street's Sair Khan were vegans - however, this is not the case.

Culinary crisis: It was previously reported that bosses were concerned about how some stars would compete for food due to their vegan requirements. Georgia Toffolo is pictured in 2017

James is a strict vegetarian and will be sticking to his regime in the jungle, avoiding the meat on offer and instead eating more rice and vegetables.

'How the camp mates split and cook their food is up to them', the source added.

Viewers were convinced they had seen James and Sair eating meat on Monday night as well as Fleur.

One posted: 'On the vegan I'm a celeb front, it's interesting to see how much you can buy someone's morals for.'

Another shared: 'unsure why 3 vegans even wanted to go on i’m a celeb when it’s a show that exists on exploiting animals? where’s their vegan morals regarding that?'

Fine dining: Stars such as 2017 contestant Iain Lee (pictured eating a pig's vagina) are often seen chowing down on animal body parts and creepy-crawlies as they compete for food

'The vegan celebs on i’m a celeb making a deal abt being vegan then eating meat casually on the first day for no reason', a third wrote.

A fourth raged: 'All these vegans on I’m a celeb not wanting to do ‘animal challenges’ but will happily eat meat for their dinner bmt #imaceleb2018'.

Last year, Amir Khan was given special halal rations during his stint on I'm A Celeb to keep his diet in line with his Muslim faith.

A host of past contestants over the years have had special vegan or vegetarian requirements, including Shappi Khorsandi last year.

Something to chew on: When Ferne McCann competed on the show in 2015, she was seen gagging her way through a grotesque four-course meal

In an interview with lifestyle website Get The Gloss earlier this year, former X Factor contestant Fleur revealed why she embraced a vegan diet at the end of last year.

The 31-year-old said: 'I watched What The Health on Netflix and when I found out what [animal products, according the documentary] are doing to our bodies, that was really my motivation. I became vegan the next day.

'I used to eat chicken every day – Nando’s was my best friend. I used to build muscle very quickly and I was worried that I would lose it...

'But a month into being vegan, I actually gained three kilos of muscle and my workout stayed the same. Interestingly my protein intake increased on a plant-based diet. That’s another myth about veganism, that you can’t build muscle.'

A spokesman for Fleur said: 'Fleur was following a vegan diet for a year - for a cleanse. After a trip to Africa earlier this year she started introducing meat occasionally in her diet.'