Wayne Rooney has been pictured at an airport ahead of the new series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, with the former England footballer reportedly the biggest signing in the show's history.
ITV's reality series will return for its 26th season this month, with a fresh set of celebrities heading to the Australian jungle. Ant and Dec will host as usual, pitting the contestants against a range of Bushtucker Trials.
Wayne Rooney Spotted at Manchester Airport
Snaps show Wayne at Manchester Airport on Sunday morning, set to head for Australia via Singapore. Earlier this year, a source described Wayne as 'the biggest signing in the show's history'.
The source told The Sun on Sunday: 'ITV have been in negotiations with him for some time and are thrilled that they've reached this stage. Wayne wants to show their sons what their dad can do and has joked he'll be giving Coleen a run for her money.'
Wife Coleen famously appeared on the show in 2024, finishing second behind winner Danny Jones. The source added: 'He is really competitive and hates losing, so will give I'm A Celebrity his all,' noting that Coleen was 'backing him all the way'.
Reported Pay and Line-Up
As the biggest name on this year's line-up, Wayne is believed to be earning the highest paycheque - 'a chunky six-figure sum,' according to The Sun. However, it's reportedly not the most ITV have ever paid a contestant, and is actually less than Coleen received.
For her time on the show, Coleen picked up £1.5million, making her one of the highest paid contestants in I'm A Celeb history. Hers was the same sum ITV is said to have paid Reform leader Nigel Farage for his appearance in 2023, in which he finished third.
An ITV spokesperson previously told Metro that 'any names suggested for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! are just speculation', while Wayne told This Morning that viewers would have to 'wait and see' whether the rumours were true.
Favourites and Returning Show
Wayne has emerged as the bookies' early favourite to win the competition. He faces stiff competition from Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page, who's received odds of 4/1 to take the jungle crown. The Welsh actress won series 21 of Taskmaster this year.
An insider told The Sun: 'I'm A Celeb bosses would love to get her in the jungle so the public can get to know the real Joanna. She has confided in friends that she's really keen to take part and wants to go on and make her children proud.'
The full line-up is believed to include comedian Leigh Francis, Big Brother host AJ Odudu, the Kaiser Chiefs' Ricky Wilson, sports personality Ade Adepitan, YouTuber Sharky, Love Island star Chloe Burrows, journalist Mariella Frostrup, model Leomie Anderson, soap legend Claire Sweeney and comedian Jack Skipper.
The show will return to ITV on Monday, November 16. The spin-off I'm A Celebrity... Unpacked will air live on ITV2, hosted by Sam Thompson and Kemi Rodgers, replacing Joel Dommett after his retirement following two series. Stephen Mulhern is also set to join the line-up, with a source telling The Sun: 'Stephen is buzzing to be taking part in the show for the first time. He can't wait to hang out with Ant and Dec Down Under.'
