The evenings are growing darker and the nights are getting colder. Autumn is well and truly here, and only one thing can be on its way: I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!. According to reports, the ITV game show has made its biggest signing ever, after Coleen Rooney has reportedly signed up to appear on the show's 2024 line-up.
The rumours certainly raised a few eyebrows. While it was surprising to hear (as reported in The Sun) that ITV has reportedly gone ‘way beyond’ the £1.5 million its said to have controversially paid to secure right-wing politician Nigel Farage on the show last year, it didn’t shock that they’d want to take advantage of the ongoing public interest in Coleen Rooney, 38, and her 2022 court case with former friend Rebekah Vardy.
At the time, Rebekah attempted to sue Coleen for defamation, after the wife of former England pro Wayne Rooney publicly accused her of leaking fake news stories about Coleen to the press. Rebekah lost the libel case and was ordered to pay 90 percent of her rival's legal costs, which now stand at more than £1.8m.
What was surprising was that Coleen would agree to go on the show. For one thing, she’d previously written in her autobiography that she didn’t feel ready to go on the show. But, with the trial returning to court this week, I’m A Celebrity would give Coleen yet another chance to tell her story, following the release of her Disney+ documentary Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story and memoir My Account last year.
The signing could also provide her another chance to one-up Rebekah. Jamie Vardy’s wife appeared on the show in 2017, when she was paid a reported £100,000 and was the third celebrity to be kicked out of the jungle.
Everything We Know About Coleen Rooney's Reported I'm A Celebrity Appearance
On Saturday 12 October, The Sun reported that Coleen had signed with ITV to appear on the long-running celebrity reality TV competition. TV bosses are said to hope the mother-of-four will spill the beans on her life at home with Wayne and their four sons Kai, 14, Klay, 11, Kit, eight, and Cass, six. After all, in her memoir and documentary last year, Coleen opened up for the first time about subjects including Wayne’s rumoured infidelities over the years.
Of course, they’d like her to talk about the Wagatha case too, which has this month returned to the courts. Rebekah’s lawyer has argued that there were various reasons why the amount of money she has to pay Coleen should be reduced. However, while last week’s hearing was ‘close-run’, the judge dismissed a number of Rebekah’s claims.
That being said, Coleen will have to be careful about what she says in the jungle. Rebekah owns the trademark to the term ‘Wagatha Christie’ – the nickname internet users gave Coleen after she set a trap for Rebekah using Instagram to reveal her as the source of the leaks. According to one report, Rebekah has made it clear she will take legal action if anyone uses the term on the show. And that includes hosts Ant and Dec.
Who Is Appearing On I'm A Celebrity 2024?
ITV is yet to announce the official I’m A Celebrity line-up for 2024. However, other stars rumoured to be appearing on the show, which first aired in 2002, include N-Dubz’s Tulisa Contostavlos, influencer GK Barry, former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, and football pundit Ally McCoist. You can find all the rumours here.
When Does I’m A Celebrity Start?
While there’s no official start date for I’m A Celebrity yet, the show will start this autumn and run for three weeks. The show began last year in on 19 November and on 6 November in 2022, so a November start seems likely.