Monday, December 23, 2024

Maura Higgins and boxing legend Barry McGuigan among stars reported to be in I’m A Celebrity line-up

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Strictly Come Dancing winner Oti Mabuse, Coronation Street actor Alan Halsall, Loose Women’s Jane Moore, McFly singer Danny Jones, and former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles are also rumoured to be part of the line-up on Virgin Media TV and ITV’s juggernaut show kicking off on November 17.

They will be joined by Love Islander Maura Higgins, radio stars Melvin Odoom and Dean McCullough, and internet personality GK Barry, according to reports by The Sun newspaper.

ITV is yet to officially confirm any of the 2024 cast, with a spokesperson saying: “Any names suggested for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! are just speculation.”

Longford woman Higgins was a finalist on the 2019 series of Love Island and has appeared on Dancing On Ice, among other TV programmes, and has carved out a successful career as a model, presenter and incluencer.

Born in Clones, Co Monaghan, Barry McGuigan is a former WBA featherweight boxing champion who was known as the ‘Clones Cyclone’ and was awarded an MBE in 1994.

The Sun previously reported that Coleen Rooney, the wife of former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, had signed on for the series – which is yet to be officially confirmed.

The 38-year-old hit the headlines in recent years over her high-profile libel battle, dubbed Wagatha Christie, with fellow footballer’s wife Rebekah Vardy.

In 2019, Rooney accused Vardy of leaking her private information to the press in a viral post on social media at the heart of the dispute.

It came two years after Vardy appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, becoming the third campmate to be eliminated.

This year’s rumoured line-up also includes Dancing On Ice judge Mabuse, who departed the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2022 having won the show twice with soap star Kelvin Fletcher and comedian Bill Bailey.

Former X Factor judge Contostavlos would be making her return to TV in the jungle, having left the ITV talent show a decade ago, while Jones would be the second McFly star to appear on the show – after bandmate Dougie Poynter won the competition in 2011.

Reports around the final line-up come after hosts Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly shared a teaser “cast reveal” video, in which they reacted to the new contestants.

The video sees the TV duo exude a mixture of excitement and approval on discovering the celebrities heading into the Australian jungle later this month.

“If we had to describe this year’s lineup in 10 words? Good. Very good. Really good. Brilliant. Yes. Yes. Yes. YES,” they captioned it.

The forthcoming series, launching on November 17, will see a new batch of famous faces undertake challenges and trials to secure food and treats for the group and avoid being voted out by viewers.

Representatives for all those reportedly heading into the jungle have been contacted for comment.

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