Wayne Rooney is set to follow his wife Coleen into the I’m A Celebrity jungle, leaving behind their £20million home for a very different kind of adventure.
The former England captain has now been photographed in his jungle gear alongside this year’s contestants, saying he hopes the ITV reality show will give viewers the chance to see the “genuine” person behind his long and often controversial public career.
Rooney joins an 11-strong cast featuring Joanna Page, Ade Adepitan, Sharky, Chloe Burrows, Ricky Wilson, AJ Odudu, Claire Sweeney, Jack Skipper, Mariella Frostrup and Leomie Anderson.
“This is probably the biggest exposure I’ve ever had, being on TV every night for three weeks.
“I hope people see I am a genuine person,” Wayne said, describing himself as a “fun guy” who enjoys playing pranks.
The 41-year-old, whose football career was accompanied by several personal scandals, appears keen to use his time on I’m A Celebrity to show audiences a different side of his personality.
The full I’m A Celebrity cast has been pictured together for the first time, with Wayne Rooney saying he wants viewers to see him as a “genuine person” after years of controversies and misdemeanours
“This is probably the biggest exposure I’ve ever had, being on TV every night for three weeks. I hope people see I am a genuine person,” Wayne said
Asked whether Coleen was proud of him, Wayne replied: “She is obviously.” She was attending her glamorous Primark launch as he arrived in Australia.
He continued: “I think because she has done it, she knows what it is, so she knows how difficult it is as well. It will be nice for her to sit down and be invested in it.”
Rooney said appearing on the programme had long been an ambition, particularly after watching Coleen finish as runner-up on I’m A Celebrity in 2024.
“Me and Coleen would sit there watching and we both always said: ‘If we were going to do one, it’s the show to do,’” he recalled.
His younger sons, Kit, 10, and Cass, eight, are said to be thrilled, while older brothers Kai, 17, and Klay, 13, are more concerned that their father could embarrass them on national television.
“The younger two are very excited. I think my older two are worried that I will embarrass them,” he said.
“I tend to do that a lot when their friends come round [to our house] and I think they are more worried about me embarrassing them.”
Rooney admitted he was nervous about taking part, saying that a difficult period in management, including his dismissals by Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle, helped persuade him to sign up for the show.
Joanna Page, best known for playing Stacey in the BBC hit Gavin & Stacey, is trading Barry Island for life in the Australian jungle
Love Island star Chloe Burrows and Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson are preparing to face the jungle’s creepy-crawlies
Ade Adepitan will make history as the first wheelchair user to appear on the show, with producers adapting the camp to ensure it is accessible
Leomie Anderson is swapping the catwalk for the jungle after stepping down as host of the BBC make-up series Glow Up
Although he said he would be willing to take on the eating trials, Rooney confessed that jumping from a helicopter was a major concern after three unsuccessful attempts to go skydiving.
“I’ve been booked to jump out of a plane three times before and never made it on the plane! I don’t like snakes or what is in the water either – I don’t go in the sea,” he said.
Wayne’s former football colleague Alan Shearer has already made clear that he will be supporting Rooney by voting for him to face the Bushtucker Trial each night.
Shearer, 56, said he recently spoke to Rooney, who appeared excited about heading Down Under and taking part in the ITV series.
“Wayne’s going into the jungle for I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, and when I saw him the other week, he was looking forward to it. He’s excited. He’s in great shape,” Shearer said in an interview with Betfair.
The former striker also asked his old teammate what he feared most about the experience.
“I asked him what he was scared of and he said he’s claustrophobic. He doesn’t like rats. He doesn’t like snakes and he doesn’t like heights,” Shearer explained.
“So, I said, ‘Apart from that, you’re going to be all right then, haha.’”
Claire Sweeney, who first rose to fame in the Channel 4 soap Brookside, is also ready to embrace life in the jungle
Sharky, whose real name is Sharmarke Mohamud, has built a following of 2.3 million on TikTok after launching his career on YouTube
AJ Odudu will be hoping her latest fitness routine has prepared her for the physical demands of I’m A Celebrity
Mariella Frostrup is hoping to create more memorable moments as she joins this year’s I’m A Celebrity cast
Shearer then joked that his support for Rooney would come at a significant price, promising to vote for his former teammate at least 20 times every evening.
“It’s going to cost me a fortune every night when I’m voting for him at least 20 times,” he said with a laugh.
Despite his enthusiasm for seeing Rooney tackle the jungle challenges, Shearer admitted there was one aspect of the show he would never consider attempting himself.
“The eating challenges are the worst. I couldn’t do that, so there is no way you will catch me going to the jungle. But good luck to Wayne,” he added.
Claire Sweeney, 55, and Joanna Page, 49, arrived at Brisbane Airport on Tuesday ahead of next Monday’s launch episode.
Speaking to reporters, Joanna said: “I’ve come a very, very long way from Barry Island! I wish Nessa was with me now.”
“I had a really nice flight. It made a change from looking after four children. It was nice to have a flight where I could just sit down, watch a film and eat some food.
“I was excited because Love Actually was available on the in-flight entertainment, and Taskmaster was on too. Every airport I went through also had a Christmas tree!
“But I chose not to watch Love Actually. I don’t think I could sit down and watch that in front of everybody, so I watched something else instead.”
Explaining what she hoped to get from the trip, Joanna said: “I just want to have a bit of me time before Christmas. A bit of time without the children, maybe some spa treatments, perhaps a mud facial, try the local cuisine and have a bit of a relax.”
