Wayne Rooney has been confirmed as one of the stars heading to the jungle for the next series of I’m a celebrity… Get me out of here!
The former England striker, who remains Manchester United’s record goalscorer with 253 in a 13-year career at Old Trafford, joins the likes of Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson, Paralympian and presenter Ade Adepitan, actress Claire Sweeney and broadcaster Mariella Frostrup on the ITV show.
Rooney’s wife Colleen took part in the show in 2024, finishing second behind Danny Jones. The first episode of this, the 26th series, airs on Monday 16 November.
“If you go in, you want to win it,” Rooney said. “Coleen has already tried and obviously finished second in the show so I’m here to bring that title to the Rooney house.”
The Liverpudlian doesn’t seem like an ideal candidate to tackle life in the Australian outback, as the show traditionally starts with contestants jumping out of a plane. It also contains challenges that require competitors to eat various larvae and parts of a kangaroo’s anatomy.
Rooney added: “I’ve been booked three times for jumping out of a plane and I’ve never been on a plane. I don’t like snakes or anything in the water either, I don’t go in the sea.”
Rooney retired from playing in 2021 after being appointed as Derby’s permanent manager. The 41-year-old had subsequent managerial spells at DC United in Major League Soccer, Birmingham and Plymouth.
He is also a pundit on the BBC’s Match of the Day.