ITV has confirmed I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! returns on Monday 16 November 2026 at 9pm. The broadcaster has not named a single campmate. Reports point to a 12-strong cast led by Wayne Rooney, with Joanna Page, Ade Adepitan, AJ Odudu and YouTuber Sharky also tipped to join.
The I’m A Celebrity 2026 rumours have been building since the summer. Ant and Dec are back, the jungle set is standing, and only the official cast list is missing. Here is what holds up so far.
- Series 26 starts on Monday, 16 November, at 9 pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player.
- The launch slipped from Sunday to Monday over a football clash.
- Twelve names have been reported. ITV has confirmed none of them.
- Wayne Rooney is the biggest reported signing, on a six-figure fee.
- Ade Adepitan would be the first wheelchair user ever to enter camp.
When Does I’m A Celebrity 2026 Start?
The launch is set for Monday, 16 November, at 9 pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player. RadioTimes picked up on the move to a Monday, breaking the show’s usual Sunday habit. Heart set out the reason: ITV now holds UEFA Nations League rights, and England meet Spain on Sunday, 15 November.
Episodes then run nightly for an hour across three weeks. No end date has been published, but The Sun expects the final to take place on 6 or 7 December. Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly host live from Australia. Spin-off: I’m A Celebrity… Unpacked returns live on ITV2 and ITVX, fronted by Sam Thompson and Kemi Rodgers. Joel Dommett, who began presenting it in November 2024, is not back.
12 Reported Campmates
The Sun was first with the full reported line-up, which spanned football, soap, music, modelling, radio, journalism and YouTube. ITV has not budged. A spokesperson told Metro that any suggested names were “just speculation”.
Wayne Rooney leads it. The former England captain, 41, has reportedly banked a six-figure fee. He is Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer and has won 120 England caps. His wife, Coleen, finished runner-up in 2024. “Coleen proved to be hugely popular when she took part two years ago, and bosses think Wayne is going to match her success,” an insider said.
Rooney was tight-lipped on This Morning in late September, saying, “There are rumours again this year. So you’ll have to wait and see.” The pair already filmed the Disney+ series The Real Rooneys.
Ade Adepitan could rewrite the show’s history as its first wheelchair user. Born in Lagos, the 53-year-old contracted polio as a toddler, losing the use of his left leg, and moved to the UK aged three. He won wheelchair basketball bronze at the 2004 Athens Paralympics and gold at the 2005 Paralympic World Cup.
“Producers are currently looking at ways to adapt the camp to make it work for Ade. They think his infectious, larger-than-life personality would make him a perfect campmate for the new series,” a source said. He would be the third Paralympian in camp after Hollie Arnold and Kadeena Cox.
TV and Soap Contingent
Joanna Page is treated as a real coup. The Welsh actress, 49, played Stacey in Gavin & Stacey and appeared in Love Actually. She won Taskmaster this year and sits on Loose Women. “I’m A Celeb bosses want her in the jungle so the public can get to know the real Joanna,” an insider said. She has four children.
AJ Odudu, 38, is the other presenting name. The Blackburn-born Big Brother host has done Strictly and Gladiators. Her ITV series wraps on Thursday, 5 November, clearing her diary.
Claire Sweeney, 55, fills the soap slot. She played Lindsey Corkhill in Brookside and spent three years as Cassie Plummer in Coronation Street, leaving in August.
Music, Modelling and Comedy
Ricky Wilson, 48, has reportedly finally given in. The Kaiser Chiefs frontman coached on The Voice UK from 2014 to 2016. “I’m A Celebrity bosses have been trying to sign Ricky up for years, but he’s always politely declined. Now he’s finally given in,” a source said.
Leigh Francis, 53, is going in as himself, not Keith Lemon. Ant and Dec have long pushed for it: “If we got Leigh Francis in the jungle… and we had to stand by and watch him do a trial, let’s try and make that happen.”
Leomie Anderson, 33, brings the fashion credentials. The model walked four Victoria’s Secret shows from 2015 to 2018 and became the first Black British Angel in 2019. She went out first on Netflix’s Celebrity Bear Hunt, though insiders call her a “tough cookie” who “has what it takes to conquer the jungle”.
The Standard also lists broadcaster Mariella Frostrup, a Loose Women panellist with four decades behind her, as this year’s prestige booking.
Jack Skipper is the least familiar name. The South London stand-up, 36, fitted carpets before comedy. The Independent notes his heavy TikTok following.
Social Media Picks
Chloe Burrows came second on Love Island in 2021, and now co-hosts Kiss Breakfast with Tyler West. “She has a very big following on social media too, very much like Angry Ginge and GK Barry, and ITV bosses think she could bring in a younger audience,” an insider said. She quit Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins after two episodes.
Sharky, real name Sharmarke Mohamud, is the YouTube pick. The 30-year-old Beta Squad member has roughly 1.5 million subscribers and 2.2 million TikTok followers, and Capital XTRA lists him in the reported dozen.
Names That Dropped Out of the Frame
Not every rumour made the cut. Strictly professional Nadiya Bychkova, Mis-Teeq’s Su-Elise Nash and Junior and Princess Andre were linked earlier. Retired cricketer Ben Stokes was priced at 4/1 by Ladbrokes, whose Alex Apati said, “Ben Stokes could soon be swapping cricket for crickets, if the latest odds are anything to go by.”
Inside the Camp and the Hotels
Aerial pictures last week showed a huge House of Horrors and a water-trial pool going up. The crew and stand-ins test every trial first. Campmates spend about a week in secret five-star hotels, often move mid-stay to dodge photographers, and lose their phones on landing.
Doctors check that each one is fit to compete. After eviction, they return to the Gold Coast, where JW Marriott suites start at £650 a night.
What the New Cast is Chasing
Angryginge, real name Morgan Burtwistle, won series 25 with 65% of the final vote, beating Tom Read Wilson, who got 35%. Shona McGarty came third. Adam Thomas then won this year’s chaotic All Stars run, earning the title of “ultimate jungle legend”. Whoever walks in on 16 November has a high bar to clear.
FAQs
Q. When does I’m A Celebrity 2026 start?
A. It starts on Monday, 16 November 2026, at 9 pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player. Episodes then air nightly for an hour across three weeks.
Q. Has ITV confirmed the 2026 line-up?
A. No. ITV has only said that any names suggested for the show are speculation. The reported 12 came from press reports, not the broadcaster.
Q. Is Wayne Rooney going into the jungle?
A. He is widely reported to be on a six-figure fee, but it is unconfirmed. On This Morning, he said fans would have to wait and see.
Q. Who hosts I’m A Celebrity 2026?
A. Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly host live from Australia. Sam Thompson and Kemi Rodgers present the spin-off Unpacked on ITV2 and ITVX.
Q. Why did the start date move to a Monday?
A. ITV holds UEFA Nations League rights and is showing England v Spain on Sunday, 15 November. The jungle launch shifted back by a day.
Q. Who won I’m A Celebrity last year?
A. YouTuber and streamer Angryginge was crowned King of the Jungle in the 2025 final. He took 65% of the public vote, beating runner-up Tom Read Wilson.
Sources & References:
- Radio Times – The launch is set for Monday, 16 November, at 9 pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player.
- The Standard – The list also includes broadcaster Mariella Frostrup, a Loose Women panellist with four decades behind her, as this year’s prestige booking.
- Independent – Jack Skipper was made to the list due to his heavy TikTok following.
- The Sun – The final will take place on 6 or 7 December.
