Wayne Rooney became the first celebrity to arrive at Brisbane Airport on Monday morning ahead of this year’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
The former England star, 41, who is reportedly the show’s highest-paid contestant, was accompanied by his manager, Paul Stretford. He was seen wearing a grey tracksuit and carrying several pieces of luggage.
Asked whether he was excited to be in Australia, Wayne replied: ‘Yeah, I’ve never been. I was meant to come once when I was going to Thailand.’
He also broke into a grin when asked whether he planned to take part in his favourite pastime, karaoke, while in the jungle.
Wayne is following in the footsteps of his wife, Coleen Rooney, who finished as runner-up on I’m A Celebrity in 2024.
His arrival came a couple of hours before YouTuber Sharky, whose real name is Sharmarke Mohamud, 30, landed in Australia.
The Mail on Sunday revealed that Wayne has already formed a bond with Love Island star Chloe Burrows ahead of their time in camp.
The Manchester United legend and reality TV star became friendly after playing together in the charity football match Soccer Aid.
Wayne Rooney was the first celebrity to arrive in Australia ahead of this year’s I’m A Celebrity, following in the footsteps of his wife, Coleen
The former England star, 41, who is reportedly the show’s highest-paid contestant, was accompanied by his manager, Paul Stretford
I’m A Celebrity — presented by Declan Donnelly, 51, and Ant McPartlin, 50 — returns to ITV on Monday, November 16
His arrival came a couple of hours before YouTuber Sharky, whose real name is Sharmarke Mohamud, 30, reached Brisbane Airport
A source said: ‘Chloe and Wayne became close over their I’m A Celebrity booking in May, when they played together in Soccer Aid.
‘Discussions about the show were already well underway at that point, so they both knew they would be heading into the jungle. They were on the same team and got on extremely well.
‘It is lovely that they already have that connection before going in. They caught up about how they were both feeling about the show, and it will be great to see their friendship develop even further once they are in camp.’
At the charity football match in Stratford, the reality star posed for a selfie with the former England captain and captioned the post: ‘What an amazing experience.’
YouTuber Sharky was the second celebrity to arrive at Brisbane Airport.
ITV bosses signed the social media star after last year’s winner, Angry Ginge, proved hugely popular with viewers. They hope Sharky will attract a younger audience to the programme.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Sharky did not confirm that he is appearing on the show, instead joking that he had major plans for his time Down Under.
Sharky launched his YouTube channel, Afcsharkey, in 2015, initially creating football and gaming content.
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He later rose to fame as a member of Beta Squad alongside Chunkz, AJ Shabeel and Celebrity Traitors stars King Kenny and Niko Omilana.
The group has an impressive 12.2 million subscribers, thanks to its entertaining videos and high-profile celebrity guests.
Earlier this year, Idris Elba joined the group for a ‘Guess the actor’ video, in which one professional actor competed against five imposters. Ed Sheeran appeared with the group last year for a ‘Guess the singer’ edition of the challenge.
Former Liverpool player Trent Alexander-Arnold also featured in a ‘Guess the footballer’ video.
However, he is unlikely to be earning as much as Wayne Rooney.
Bosses have reportedly offered Wayne more than his wife Coleen, who received a record-breaking £1.5 million for her jungle appearance two years ago.
Wayne and Coleen have remained in the spotlight following the release of their fly-on-the-wall documentary, The Real Rooneys, last month.
The couple have given viewers an intimate insight into family life with their sons Kai, 16, Klay, 13, Kit, ten, and Cass, eight, in the series, which was filmed last year.
Wayne has also appeared to turn back the clock in recent photographs after undergoing a noticeable transformation.
Wayne wore a grey tracksuit and baseball cap, showing off his slimmer physique and noticeably younger appearance
Asked whether he was excited to be in Australia, Wayne replied: ‘Yeah, I’ve never been. I was meant to come once when I was going to Thailand’
He could not hide his amusement when asked whether he would be singing karaoke in the jungle
His wife, Coleen, finished as runner-up on I’m A Celebrity in 2024
His arrival followed The Mail on Sunday’s revelation that he has already formed a bond with Love Island star Chloe Burrows ahead of camp
Ahead of his jungle appearance, Wayne has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent months, including a nose job, a slimmer physique and Invisalign treatment to improve his smile.
I’m A Celebrity — presented by Declan Donnelly, 51, and Ant McPartlin, 50 — returns to ITV on Monday, November 16.
Last year’s I’m A Celebrity series launched with 11.3 million viewers. Across all platforms, the 2025 series reached 23.4 million people, equivalent to 38% of the television population.
Joining Wayne in this year’s line-up are Joanna Page, Ade Adepitan, Chloe Burrows, Ricky Wilson, Sharky, AJ Odudu, Mariella Frostrup, Leomie Anderson, Claire Sweeney, Leigh Francis and Jack Skipper.
Each year, two contestants arrive a week after the first group of ten celebrities and typically have to complete a task of their own before joining the rest of the camp.