Wayne Rooney ‘planning on smuggling banned item’ into I’m A Celeb jungle
Wayne Rooney is planning on breaking one of the cardinal I'm A Celeb rules when he heads into the jungle, his famous friend has claimed.
Pals of the former Manchester United star, 41, have been sharing their thoughts on how they think he will fare Down Under - and comically, they reckon it won't take much for him to 'snap'.
While discussing who they suspect Rooney might clash with in camp, his former teammates Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes also revealed that the father-of-four is intending to smuggle some contraband in.
Rooney is reportedly the biggest earner among this year's I'm A Celeb cast and is believed to be raking in £800,000 for his stint in the jungle.
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He is joining the likes of Gavin and Stacey actress Joanna Page, Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson and supermodel Leomie Anderson in Australia amid the return of the hit ITV series on Monday (16 November).
Paddy McGuinness pointed out that Rooney has been 'hammering the training' to ensure he is camera-ready and described him as being 'ripped' on the latest episode of The Good, The Bad & The Football.
The TV star and his co-hosts, Butt and Scholes, welcomed This City Is Ours actor James Nelson-Joyce onto the podcast this week, and inevitably, conversation turned to the Liverpool legend that is Rooney.
The foursome discussed how the ex-England player has been preparing to appear on I'm A Celeb and how they expect he will cope without the luxuries he is used too.
According to Nelson-Joyce, Rooney has 'cut the coffee out' over the last few weeks so that he will be able to survive without caffeine.
Butt, 51, then shared some details of a recent conversation he had with Rooney about him potentially breaking one of the show's most notorious rules.
He claimed that the football icon has hatched a plan to smuggle a prohibited item into camp in a bid to ensure that his tastebuds won't suffer.
Butt explained: "I was saying to him, 'What are you going to take in?' He said, 'White pepper - I'm going to put it in my [waist] band, I'm going to tip it out like that'. I thought, you're going to get caught."
A host of previous I'm A Celeb contestants have tried to smuggle seasoning in during previous seasons of the show, and typically, the entire camp suffers the consequences when they get busted.
Scholes then pointed out that tensions tend to boil over between celebrities when they become frustrated with the blandness and scarcity of their grub, the lack of sleep they get, and having to constantly encounter insects.
Butt joked that this would make anyone 'snap', before saying of Rooney: "He's ready to snap...I just want to see him flip. I want to see him snap in the jungle."
One contestant might rile Rooney up
Scholes sees his good friend being at the centre of some 'hilarious' TV moments - but suggested he could also 'flip his lid', adding: "He could bang someone."
Butt remarked that Rooney will 'be great either way' and suggested that the Match of the Day pundit 'could win it'.
McGuinness then pointed out that his mate Leigh Francis, AKA Keith Lemon, is also rumoured to be heading into the jungle.
And this is when Nelson-Joyce chimed in to say he suspects that the comedian 'could get on Wayne's t*ts', as he said: "Because he's funny, he's loud, he's in his ear..."
Scholes concurred, saying he 'could imagine' Francis riling up Rooney - but I guess only time will tell, lads.
Rooney has no doubt received some nuggets of knowledge about how to conquer the jungle from his wife Coleen, who appeared on the show back in 2024 and made it all the way to the final.
Discussing what he's most concerned about heading into I'm A Celeb, he said: "Jumping out of a helicopter is a big fear. But I hope I do that, because then I will have conquered that fear.
"Snakes? I don't like them, if I'm honest, and I think I am ok with spiders, but they are a lot bigger and scarier there.
"I will try everything if there is an eating trial. It's about embracing everything."
If you see him fiddling with his waistband during one, you'll know exactly what he's up to now thanks to Butt.
Topics: I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here News and Rumours, Wayne Rooney, Celebrity, ITV
Olivia Burke
