ITV Confirms "I'm a Celebrity" Lineup Led by Rooney
Eleven names are official, the launch moves to a Monday, and the loudest part of the announcement is the one name missing from the first-look photo.
ITV confirmed eleven celebrities for the 2026 jungle series on November 11, headlined by Wayne Rooney, starting November 16.
ITV has confirmed the eleven celebrities entering the Australian jungle for this year's series of "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" [I'm A Celebrity line-up confirmed including Wayne Rooney and Claire Sweeney (OK! Magazine, November 11, 2026)]
Wayne Rooney headlines the confirmed eleven for the new series, which starts Monday, November 16 at 9 p.m. on ITV1. The launch moves off its usual Sunday slot because ITV is showing England against Spain in the Nations League on November 15. [I'm A Celebrity line-up confirmed including Wayne Rooney and Claire Sweeney (OK! Magazine, November 11, 2026)] [I'm A Celebrity 2026 late arrival 'confirmed' (Capital FM, November 11, 2026)]
The full eleven: Rooney, Joanna Page, Ade Adepitan, AJ Odudu, Ricky Wilson, Chloe Burrows, Claire Sweeney, Mariella Frostrup, Sharky, Leomie Anderson and Jack Skipper. Rooney is the booking the series will be sold on: England's former captain turned pundit, famous enough that his jungle stint leads every announcement story, and untested in the reality format that has humbled bigger egos than his. Around him the cast is built the modern way, a Paralympian broadcaster in Adepitan, a Kaiser Chiefs frontman in Wilson, a Love Island alumna in Burrows, a YouTuber in Sharky, and dependable television faces in Page, Sweeney and Frostrup. Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly return as hosts. [I'm A Celebrity line-up confirmed including Wayne Rooney and Claire Sweeney (OK! Magazine, November 11, 2026)] [I'm A Celebrity 2026 late arrival 'confirmed' (Capital FM, November 11, 2026)]
The scheduling tells its own story about the show's weight. The launch moves off its traditional Sunday because ITV is showing England against Spain in the Nations League on November 15, and a 9 p.m. nightly strip follows from Monday the 16th. The franchise remains one of British television's few appointment events, which is why a cast list is a national news item at all. [I'm A Celebrity 2026 late arrival 'confirmed' (Capital FM, November 11, 2026)]
And then there's the twelfth chair. Comedian Leigh Francis, long rumored for this series, isn't in the confirmed eleven or the first-look photograph, and the reporting consensus is that he's the season's late arrival, held back to detonate mid-run. ITV hasn't confirmed it. It rarely has to: the missing name generates the second day of coverage all by itself. [I'm A Celebrity 2026 late arrival 'confirmed' (Capital FM, November 11, 2026)]
The conversation.
Loading comments…
A little more perspective.
Reading is free. Verified members can comment and reply for $2 a month.