Tom Read Wilson is widely recognised for his flamboyant, theatrical charm and his polished, eloquent manner of speaking.
And although his delivery can seem theatrical, the I’m A Celeb favourite has been proving to viewers and fellow campmates that his distinctive voice is entirely genuine, impressing them daily with his rich and varied vocabulary.
When rapper Aitch asked him where his unique “lingo” came from, the Celebs Go Dating personality credited his father.
“He was an English teacher and he’d turn everything into stories,” Tom explained. “I’m no poet, but I adore the musicality of language.”
Yet while he openly discussed his father’s career in the jungle, he didn’t mention the unusual circumstances surrounding how his parents first met.
In a situation that would raise eyebrows today, his father, Crispin Read Wilson, began a relationship with an 18-year-old student at the school where he taught—who later became Tom’s mother, Juliette Cheeseman.
Speaking on 8 Out of 10 Cats in 2024, Tom said: “My father was an English teacher and that’s how I came to be.
“My maternal grandfather worked at the same school, and sometimes the older girls from staff families would date the youngest teachers.”
A surprised Rob Beckett responded: “So your dad was a teacher there, and your mum was a student?”
“She was 18, becoming an adult. He was 16 years older,” Tom clarified.
Host Jimmy Carr then summed it up: “He was 34 and she was 18.”
Tom nodded and replied, “Yes. I never really thought about it.”
Tom previously shared that his parents are no longer together and his father has since remarried.
“I’m very close to them both, but they are separated now and my dad has remarried. My mum teaches French and she’s wonderful—lively, mischievous, and full of spirit.”
Earlier this week, Tom’s mother spoke about his trademark way of speaking after she landed in Australia on Tuesday.
She told the Daily Mail: “He’s incredibly well-spoken. It’s as if he was born with a dictionary already in his mouth.
“His father taught English, so that’s clearly where he gets it from. Sadly, it doesn’t come from me.
“He’s always talked like that, which is lovely—though sometimes I haven’t the faintest idea what he’s saying.”
During Monday night’s episode, viewers were stunned when Tom unveiled a completely different voice.
As Lisa Riley asked about his romantic life, Tom admitted there wasn’t much to share, saying he was good at “finding” men but not “keeping” them.
Jack Osbourne, 40, then jokingly asked: “Hang on, Tom—you’re gay?”
Playing along, Tom teased that he was a “beacon of butch” before showing off his “manly side” by mock-flirting with Kelly Brook.
When Kelly asked what kind of women he was drawn to, Tom answered in a deep, gravelly voice that she “ticked all the boxes.”
“You totally fit the bill, babe,” he added, leaving the rest of camp in stitches.
Later, in the Bush Telegraph, Tom continued the joke, saying: “That Tom version with all the fancy words—it’s exhausting. Much nicer to stay in here.”
He then slipped back into his normal tone, exclaiming: “Oh God, what’s wrong with me?”
Fans flocked to social media after the episode, baffled by his sudden vocal switch.
One wrote: “Tom’s deep voice has the whole country wondering which one is real.”
Another added: “I genuinely can’t figure out his actual voice.”
A third said: “Wait—so does Tom put on that high voice?”
Others admitted they couldn’t tell whether it was his natural voice or an accent.
However, his Celebs Go Dating co-star Anna Williamson has previously cleared things up.
Laughing, she said: “Everyone always asks, ‘Does he really talk like that?’ I can confirm—yes! Tom Read Wilson genuinely speaks that way. He’s a trained actor, but that voice is not an act.”