I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! has moved from weeks of casting speculation to a much clearer picture of who viewers will see in the Australian jungle. New publicity photographs released ahead of the 2026 launch show eleven familiar faces in the programme’s traditional camp clothing, according to reports published on 10 November. The ITV entertainment series returns on Monday 16 November at 9pm, with Ant and Dec presenting.
Who appears in the new jungle photographs?
The photographed starting group comprises Wayne Rooney, Chloe Burrows, Ricky Wilson, Joanna Page, Ade Adepitan, Sharky, AJ Odudu, Jack Skipper, Leomie Anderson, Claire Sweeney and Mariella Frostrup. They bring experience from television presenting, acting, music, comedy, online entertainment and other public careers. That variety is part of the format’s appeal: viewers see people accustomed to very different working environments sharing basic camp routines and undertaking unfamiliar challenges.
Rooney is known primarily for football, but his appearance here is an entertainment television story rather than a sporting result. His wife Coleen competed in the jungle in 2024. Meanwhile, Sweeney will be particularly familiar to soap viewers through her Coronation Street work, and Page is associated with Gavin & Stacey. Odudu has presented Big Brother, while Burrows previously appeared on Love Island. Their established television connections may give viewers several reasons to tune in before the first trial is announced.
What have the prospective campmates said about jungle life?
The first-look reporting provides a flavour of what some of the group expect to find difficult. Rooney has discussed fears involving heights, snakes and the sea, as well as his lack of confidence in the kitchen. Burrows is also uneasy about heights, while Wilson has joked that being surrounded by celebrities could be more intimidating than the jungle’s creatures. These are personal concerns expressed ahead of filming, not predictions about who will fail a challenge.
Page has suggested she may take on a supportive role around camp. Adepitan’s participation is notable because reports describe preparations to make the environment accessible for a wheelchair-using contestant. It would be premature to describe precisely how those arrangements will operate during individual trials before ITV shows them. Sharky has spoken about discomfort with enclosed spaces, while Odudu wants viewers to see a more vulnerable side of her personality.
Skipper hopes humour will be useful in camp, Anderson has discussed challenging assumptions about her background, and Sweeney has expressed concerns about maggots while also hoping to help manage disagreements. Frostrup may have useful experience around spiders and outdoor conditions. None of those comments establishes how the campmates will actually behave once food, sleep and comfort become scarce.
What about Leigh Francis and the reported twelfth name?
Earlier pre-launch reports widely named twelve possible participants, including comedian Leigh Francis. However, the first set of eleven publicity photographs does not establish that he is among the starting campmates. Some press coverage has speculated that he might join later. That remains a report, not a confirmed late-entry announcement, and viewers should not confuse the earlier rumoured twelve-person list with the photographed starting group.
This distinction matters because entertainment shows frequently keep parts of their launch format under wraps. The absence of someone from a photograph is not, on its own, proof of a cancellation, a secret dispute or a definite future arrival. The safest reading is that eleven people have been presented in the new photographs, while any additional arrivals require a separate announcement or an on-screen reveal.
When does I’m a Celebrity 2026 start?
The new series is scheduled to begin on ITV1 and ITVX on Monday 16 November at 9pm UK time. Ant and Dec return to guide viewers through camp developments and the trials. A companion programme, I’m a Celebrity: Unpacked, is also expected to return with Sam Thompson and Kemi Rodgers. Programme times can change, so viewers should check the current ITV listings close to transmission.
The central unanswered questions are now about camp dynamics rather than a purely speculative cast list. Who will adapt quickly to shared chores? Which familiar television personality will find the restrictions hardest? Those questions are worth watching unfold, but they are not outcomes anyone can responsibly claim before the programme airs. For now, the publicity photographs offer a tangible preview of the people and personalities likely to shape launch week.
Sources: Scottish Sun, 10 November 2026, first-look photographs; Metro, 10 November 2026, line-up reporting; TechRadar, launch date and viewing information.