Coleen Rooney finished second in the jungle in 2024. Her husband has decided that won't do. Wayne Rooney, the former Everton, Manchester United and England striker, is the headline name in this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! line-up, and he is going in to win.
"If you're going in you want to win it," he said. "Coleen's already tried and obviously she finished second in the show so I'm here to bring that title back to the Rooney household." Ant and Dec return for the opening episode on ITV on Monday, 16 November, the show's 26th year.
A helicopter, snakes and the sea
Rooney did not pretend to be fearless. Jumping out of a helicopter is his biggest fear, he admitted, and he has form on that front. He has been booked to jump out of a plane three times before and never actually made it on board. Snakes are a problem. So is whatever is in the water, and he does not go in the sea.
Which, for anyone who has watched a single series of this programme, sounds like a man who will be voted into a few trials early on. The public tends to enjoy that sort of thing.
Who else is in camp
He won't be short of company. Eleven celebrities head into the Australian camp, including Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page, YouTuber Sharky from the Beta Squad, Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson, actress Claire Sweeney and broadcaster Mariella Frostrup. AJ Odudu, comedian Jack Skipper, Love Island's Chloe Burrows and model Leomie Anderson complete the list.
Paralympian and presenter Ade Adepitan will be the first wheelchair user in the show's history, and producers are adapting the camp so it is accessible. He said he was slightly overwhelmed by that. Keith Lemon creator Leigh Francis is not in the official line-up but is rumoured as a late addition.
From the touchline to the jungle
These days Rooney is better known as a pundit than a manager, and a stint in the jungle is about as far from a TV studio as it gets. The last series, an all-star edition in South Africa, ended in arguments and walk-outs at the live final in April, so ITV will be hoping for something calmer. With a competitive streak like Rooney's around a campfire, calm might be optimistic. I'd back him to go deep, if not all the way.
Show facts: I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! 2026 starts Monday 16 November on ITV, hosted by Ant and Dec, 11 celebrities in the Australian camp. Wayne Rooney played for Everton, Manchester United and England before moving into management and punditry. Coleen Rooney was runner-up in 2024. Source: BBC News.
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