Wayne Rooney's private feelings about entering I'm A Celebrity revealed days before ITV show
Wayne Rooney is 'excited' about entering the Australian jungle for the 2026 series but has four main reservations, according to his former England team-mate Alan Shearer.
Manchester United legend Rooney has now been officially confirmed by ITV as one of the 10 celebrities that will take part in this year's show. Leigh Francis was part of the reported line-up but has not yet been announced, fuelling speculation that the 'Celebrity Juice' star will be one of the two late arrivals.
Rooney, though, will be comfortably the highest-paid celebrity in the jungle, with ITV doubtless hoping that his global football following will vote for him to do a number of 'Bushtucker Trials'. Shearer says he will be doing exactly that.
READ MORE: Wayne Rooney set to earn 47% less than wife Coleen as full I'm A Celebrity 2026 pay revealed
Alan Shearer reveals what Wayne Rooney really thinks about I'm A Celebrity
Speaking to Betfair, Shearer has admitted he will be voting for Rooney as many times as possible to do the renowned daily trials - though an ITV rule will stop him doing more than two trials consecutively.
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And he revealed he spoke with his Match of the Day colleague about how he would approach the jungle.
"Wayne Rooney's going into the jungle for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here and, when I saw him the other week, he was looking forward to it," Shearer said. "He's excited. He's in great shape.
"I asked him what he was scared of and he said he's claustrophobic. He doesn't like rats. He doesn't like snakes and he doesn't like heights. So I said, 'Apart from that, you're going to be alright then!'
"It's going to cost me a fortune every night when I'm voting him at least 20 times. The eating challenges are the worst. I couldn't do that, so there is no way you will catch me going to the jungle. But good luck to Wayne."
Why Wayne Rooney is entering I'm A Celebrity now
Rooney is the second member of his family to enter the jungle, with his wife Coleen having done so in 2024.
He wasn't able to fly to Australia when Coleen won the opportunity to have a family visit during the show, as he was managing Championship side Plymouth Argyle at the time.
Two years on, though, and Rooney has put his managerial career on hold, having been sacked by Argyle in January 2025. He's now a pundit and won the Pundit of the Year award at the Broadcast Sports Awards last week - and says the timing is right for I'm A Celebrity.
Speaking ahead of the show, Rooney said (via Liverpool Echo): "She [Coleen] is [proud], obviously. I think because she has done it, she knows what it is, so she knows how difficult it is as well. It will be nice for her to sit down and be invested in it.
"I hope people will see me for who I am. I like to have fun and I like to think I am actually a fun guy to be around. I do like to mess around a bit and I do talk a lot. People will have their own opinions, but I hope they will see me as a genuine person."
Topics: Wayne Rooney, Im a Celebrity, Alan Shearer
Ryan Smart
