A new set of campmates will soon enter the Australian jungle for the new series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, facing an 'FBI-like' secrecy process before they arrive.
The contestants have spent most of their time in isolation to prevent them learning who will be joining them in camp. Former campmate Jake Quickenden, who finished as runner-up on the ITV reality show in 2014, compared the secrecy surrounding his pre-jungle preparations to being "in the FBI", revealing that the team had gone to great lengths to keep his identity under wraps.
Stealth mode and five-star treatment
Jake's hotel was changed midway through his nine-day stay before he joined as a late arrival, so determined were the team to avoid media attention. "They want to keep you under wraps and they don't want the press knowing who you are or getting a photo of you. So it's all very like stealth mode," he told Metro.
He shared how contestants are put up in five-star hotels with spas and saunas. "I was like 'what is going on?' I felt like Justin Bieber. It was great," he added. "I could have just lived in the suites for the whole time. You didn't even need to leave." While he was allowed to explore the hotel, wandering the streets was not allowed.
Cast and preparations
Former Strictly Come Dancing star AJ Pritchard, who appeared on I'm A Celebrity when it was filmed in Wales in 2020, was put up in a cottage Airbnb before entering the castle. He revealed his TV was unplugged from the internet to ensure contestants had no idea about what was going on in the outside world. Exploring the Welsh countryside was strictly prohibited, with someone taking trips to the shops to ensure the celebrities had everything they needed.
This year's cast includes Wayne Rooney, 41, Joanna Page, 49, Ricky Wilson, 48, Chloe Burrows, 31, YouTuber Sharky, 30, Big Brother presenter AJ Odudu, 38, and Loose Women star Mariella Frostrup, 63. Paralympian and BBC presenter Ade Adepitan, 53, will be the first contestant to use a wheelchair. Victoria's Secret model Leomie Anderson, 33, will also head Down Under alongside Coronation Street star Claire Sweeney, 55, who is believed to have signed up after Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson pulled out. Stand-up comedian and former carpet fitter Jack Skipper rounds off the cast.
The campmates will spend three weeks in camp, taking on gruelling Bushtucker Trials to win food, with one crowned King or Queen of the Jungle.
