'I'm A Celebrity' 2020: All the contestant line-up rumours
I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! is due to start in less than two weeks on Sunday 15 November.
The newest crop of celebrities have the unique privilege of being the first contestants to appear from the Gwrych Castle in Wales as opposed to the usual Australian jungle.
While the official line-up is due to be announced on Sunday's homage to the long-running reality show, I'm A Celebrity - a Jungle Story, just like in the years previous there has been a wealth of speculation on who'll be heading to the camp.
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As usual there looks to be a mix of stars from across the realms of sport and entertainment, so who could be in contention to be crowned King or Queen of the Castle?
Watch: Ant and Dec get lost in Wales in I’m A Celeb trailer
Vernon Kay
Vernon Kay and Tess Daly could be dominating the biggest shows of the winter schedule if he's signed up to I'm A Celeb while his wife hosts Strictly Come Dancing every weekend.
But he told the Radio Times back in the summer that the reason his name is in the mix is because he's been asked a few times already.
“The reason why that story came out, I think, is because I've been asked for the last two or three years to do I'm a Celebrity. I've always turned it down. I think my name must have still been in a notebook and it's been floated around.
“We'll see. Never say never. Like I say, I've been asked two or three times in the past and it's not been the right time so I don't know.”
Fans will have to wait and see if it could be the right time after all.
Victoria Derbyshire
Victoria Derbyshire suffered a blow to her career early this year when her self-titled BBC Two programme was cancelled. Now, she's been tipped for three weeks of Bushtucker trials and brutal Welsh weather.
It's been suggested by The Sun that she was keen to take part in this year's series as it is so much closer to home this time around.
The presenter has two teenage sons, Oliver, 16, and Joe, 13, with husband Mark Sandell.
Beverley Callard
Coronation Street's Liz McDonald actor Beverley Callard is said to be going to the castle according to tabloids, however, it follows a difficult year for her health-wise.
The 63-year-old suddenly left the soap earlier this year to undergo a routine hip operation which unfortunately ended up going wrong. As a result, Callard was left struggling to walk and she's still recovering.
Read more: Beverley Callard can’t walk without crutches
When Steph McGovern asked her about the rumours on her Channel 4 show in September, the soap star said she would have to get the go-ahead from her consultants - so only time will tell.
Shane Richie
Shane Richie is another soap star whose name has been part of the swirling rumours.
The Sun have reported the former EastEnders star jumped at the opportunity after the pantomime he was slated to appear in at New Wimbledon Theatre this Christmas was cancelled due to the coronavirus.
Richie is a regular on the UK panto scene, so that may explain why he's usually too busy to say yes to ITV.
AJ Pritchard
AJ Pritchard announced he wouldn't be returning to Strictly 2020 earlier this year so he could focus on other projects, but could I'm A Celeb be one of them?
It was reported by that the dancer would be part of the upcoming series and the star himself heavily teased his involvement in a recent interview with The Sun.
Watch: I’m a Celebrity runner-up Emily Atack hopes show will still be the same this year
“I’m intrigued as to how it’s going to work this year, not being in Australia in the sunshine," he said. "I do like the sun, so I don’t know how the celebrities will take it. I think whoever wants to do that show would prefer it in a hot country.”
Jessica Plummer
Singer and soap star Jessica Plummer has been tipped as a contestant fresh from her EastEnders exit after her character Chantelle was killed in a domestic violence storyline just a few months ago.
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It could be another success for EastEnders alum as Lauren Branning actor Jacqueline Jossa was crowned Queen of the Jungle in 2019.
Russell Watson
Opera singer Russell Watson has been a reoccurring name in suggestions for this year's line-up.
He was even asked about it by Steph McGovern on her Channel 4 Packed Lunch show as she questioned whether the rumours he'd been offered a six-figure sum to compete were true.
"Yeah it would be lovely," he replied. "Not been paid for doing anything else this year!"
Mo Farah
The Welsh castle could be graced by the presence of Olympic champion Mo Farah too.
However, the rumours have prompted the chief executive of UK Athletics to issue a warning that if Farah does appear he is risking his chances of not being able to defend his 10,000m Olympic title as the time spent on the show and in quarantine could impact his Tokyo training.
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“It’s a knife-edge decision,” said UKA chief Jo Coates. “For me as a marketer, to have athletes in mainstream TV shows is just perfection. We worked so hard to get netballers into these shows. However – and a big however – you would never want to do that to the detriment of performance."
I’m A Celebrity - a Jungle Story airs Sunday at 8:10pm on ITV.
