In advanced talks, but not confirmed yet.
I’m A Celebrity returns to ITV1 in November, two years after Coleen finished runner-up.
Wayne Rooney could soon be swapping football punditry for Bushtucker Trials, but there’s one part of jungle life he has already admitted he wouldn’t enjoy.
The former Manchester United and England captain is reportedly in advanced talks to appear on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! this year, two years after his wife Coleen Rooney finished runner-up. Reports suggest ITV sees him as a potentially huge signing, but there is one important catch: nobody has confirmed it.
Is Wayne Rooney doing I’m A Celebrity 2026?
Not confirmed. Reports say Rooney is in advanced talks to join the 2026 series, but ITV has not announced him, and an ITV spokesperson has refused to confirm any names.
Reported by The Sun on 19 September. Still named in rumoured line-ups. No word from ITV or Rooney.
So there is still a significant difference between “in advanced talks” and “confirmed”, and the campmates for 2026 are still under wraps.
What has Wayne Rooney said he’d hate in the jungle?
Snakes, and a past trial involving a large ostrich. He said he’d cope with the limited food, but boredom worried him more.
Speaking last year about the possibility of appearing on the programme, Rooney admitted that he thought he would cope with the rations. Boredom concerned him more. But there were also two things he particularly didn’t like the sound of: snakes and a previous trial involving a large ostrich. His comments were reported by GOAL while discussing whether he could eventually follow Coleen into the jungle.
That could become particularly interesting if ITV really does manage to get him into camp. Bushtucker Trials aren’t exactly known for respecting celebrities’ dislikes.
Was Wayne Rooney gutted to miss I’m A Celebrity in 2025?
Yes. He said he was disappointed not to be in the 2025 camp, and that I’m A Celebrity is something he would “never say no to”.
Rooney was particularly interested in sharing the jungle with rapper Aitch and Angry Ginge, who went on to win the 2025 series, saying he thought the three of them would have had plenty of fun together.
He explained that it was a programme he and Coleen had always watched and had previously discussed doing. At the time, however, he ruled himself out of that year’s series. Less than a year later, reports suggest the situation could be very different.
When does I’m A Celebrity 2026 start?
ITV has confirmed a November return on ITV1. The launch is reported to be Monday 16 November, but ITV has not confirmed the date.
The Sun reported that the launch had moved back a day because England play Spain in Madrid on the Sunday night, according to Digital Spy. The first teaser swapped the carol’s gifts for offal, mud and vomit fruit smoothies, but stopped short of revealing any campmates.
Who else is rumoured for I’m A Celebrity 2026?
None of them are confirmed, but Rooney is reported alongside AJ Odudu, Ricky Wilson, Nadiya Bychkova and Mariella Frostrup.
- Wayne Rooney
- AJ Odudu
- Ricky Wilson
- Nadiya Bychkova
- Mariella Frostrup
Names reported by TV Guide on 19 October, with Mariella Frostrup added by The Sun. Jesy Nelson was also named, but she has reportedly pulled out, according to Entertainment Daily. None confirmed by ITV.
Every name reported so far, and how solid each report is, is in our I’m A Celebrity 2026 line-up tracker.
Could Coleen Rooney help Wayne in the jungle?
She knows exactly what he’d be getting into. Coleen made it to the final in 2024 and finished runner-up to Danny Jones.
Current reports suggest Wayne was encouraged by how much his wife enjoyed the experience and that Coleen has been giving him advice about jungle life.
There could be another motivation too. Rooney is famously competitive, and reports claim he wants to show sons Kai, Klay, Kit and Cass what their dad can do. Perhaps more dangerously for Coleen, he is also reportedly joking about giving her jungle performance a run for its money.
Matching second place would require surviving quite a few trials first. And those previous comments about snakes suddenly look considerably more interesting.
Where else have viewers seen Wayne Rooney lately?
On the BBC as a football pundit, and at home in The Real Rooneys, the family’s Disney+ series, which is now streaming in full.
After spells in football management, the former England captain has become increasingly involved in television and broadcasting. He has worked as a BBC football pundit and has also moved into entertainment formats.
Wayne and Coleen opened their family life to the cameras for The Real Rooneys, a 10-part Disney+ series that follows them and their four sons through what Disney describes as a pivotal year. It includes Wayne adjusting to life away from football management, Coleen’s growing career and eldest son Kai pursuing his own football ambitions.
The timing means viewers have had a much closer look at Rooney at home just as speculation about another major reality TV appearance grows.
Why Rooney in the jungle wouldn’t be a surprise
He has dropped four clear hints, even if none of them is a signature.
- He loves the programme. He and Coleen have always watched it.
- He would never rule it out. In his words, it’s something he would “never say no to”.
- He was gutted to miss a series. He wanted to be in camp with Aitch and Angry Ginge in 2025.
- He has named the trials he’d rather avoid. Snakes, and that old trial with a large ostrich.
If Rooney does eventually walk across that famous bridge, viewers may already know exactly which Bushtucker Trial ingredients to vote for.
We’ll update this page as soon as ITV confirms the line-up.
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