‘I’m Blak And Proud’: I’m A Celeb’s Bianca Hunt On People Claiming They Don’t See Colour

A phrase that's often heard in discussions about race is "I'm colourblind", which is a claim people make to purport that they don't take race into account. This is often used in recruiting, and particularly in colour-blind casting in TV shows and film — where people are cast without consideration of their ethnicity and race. Not seeing colour in this respect has been hailed as a sign of progress by some and criticised by others, but it raises the question: Can we really go about our lives without acknowledging our society's racial and cultural diversity?

During last night's episode of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, Bianca Hunt said she hasn't felt comfortable in the past when people told her they didn't see colour, as she felt her true identity as a Blak woman was being ignored.

"I used to get upset when people would say 'I don't see colour' or 'I'm colourblind'," the Kamilaroi, Barkindji, Ballardong and Wadjak woman  woman told her I'm A Celeb campmates on the show.

Gesturing towards co-star Ian 'Dicko' Dickson, Hunt explained an example of someone saying they were colourblind would be them claiming they don't see a difference between her and Dicko, who's a white man.

"But... I'm Blak and proud," she said. "For me personally, I love my coloured skin. People told me to not like it and now I've really grown to embrace it and love it."

The TV presenter went on to recall a time when she was one of two Blak students at school, and another student had asked her, "Why is your skin like that?"

"She was really curious and I said, 'Because I'm Aboriginal'. She was like, 'What's Aboriginal?' That became a lesson and she got to understand that the colour is something to be embraced," said Hunt.

"It's OK for her to be curious and to know there is a difference, but not to be like, 'You're different, you shouldn't be with us, you shouldn't play with us.'"

Prior to appearing on the show, Hunt said she hoped that by going onto I'm A Celeb, she can challenge people's misconceptions of her.

"I think what I want so-called Australia to know about me is that there are so many things about me that make me... me," she said in a video shared on her Instagram account.

The media personality said she didn't want to be put in a "box" because of her heritage.

"I can be the chick that talks about fashion and dresses up and looks cute," she said. "But I can just as easily have a conversation around serious things that impact myself and my community."

Hunt has an established career in the Australian media space, having been a host of the 2019 National NAIDOC Awards, a guest on ABC’s The Drum in the past, and also a co-host of Indigenous TV network NITV’s Yokayi Footy program. In 2021, she launched her own talent agency, AGNT BLAK, aimed at providing a safe environment for First Nations media personalities, speakers and influencers to thrive in mainstream spaces.

As she thrives in the I'm A Celebrity jungle, Hunt is up against a slew of other celebrities facing creepy crawlies and extreme physical challenges to win money for their nominated charity.

The cast includes netball legend Liz Ellis, ex-MAFS star Domenica Calarco, former Home & Away actor Debra Lawrance, radio host Woody Whitelaw, Geordie Shore's Nathan Henry, former Australian Idol judge Ian 'Dicko' Dickson, TV host Kerri-Anne Kennerley,  pastry chef Anna Polyviou, comedian Peter Helliar, Olympic lightweight boxer Harry Garside, TV presenter Aesha Scott, and AFL star Adam Cooney.