November 12 – Wayne Rooney goes into the jungle. The former Manchester United and England striker has signed up to I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
He follows his wife, Coleen, who came second on the ITV show in 2024. National bragging rights are now firmly on the line.
“I’m just looking forward to experiencing it my way, I think that’s the most important thing,” Rooney said. “Jumping out of a helicopter is a big fear, but I hope to do it, because then I will have conquered that fear.
“Snakes? I don’t like them, to be honest, and I think I’m fine with spiders, but they’re a lot bigger and scarier. I’ll try anything if there’s a food test. It’s about embracing everything.”
The show, filmed in the Australian bush, is known for its “Bushtucker Trials”, in which contestants eat insects and other delicacies and are locked in tight spaces with snakes, spiders and assorted creatures.
It is the latest step in an intense media career for England’s second-highest men’s goalscorer. Rooney already appears on Disney+ shows The Real Rooneys and Stick to United and has become a regular voice on football broadcasts since his managerial spells at Derby, DC United, Birmingham and Plymouth.
The jungle tends to reward players who show their personality, and Rooney has never been lacking. The real question is whether she can beat Coleen’s second place. Anything less and the ride home from the airport could be uneventful.