I'm A Celebrity 2026 is almost here. The jungle is already delivering drama before a single campmate has lit a fire. The new series launches on Monday 16 November. The first pictures from Australia tell the story. Wayne Rooney leapt out of a plane. Ade Adepitan made television history. And Ant and Dec are back where they belong.
- Launch: Monday 16 November 2026, 9pm, on ITV1, STV and ITVX
- Hosts: Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly
- Campmates: 11 celebrities, led by Wayne Rooney and Joanna Page
- History-maker: Ade Adepitan, the first wheelchair user on the show
- Opening stunt: Rooney and Adepitan completed a skydive on to a Gold Coast beach
I’m A Celebrity 2026 is almost here. The jungle is already delivering drama before a single campmate has lit a fire. The new series launches on Monday 16 November. The first pictures from Australia tell the story. Wayne Rooney leapt out of a plane. Ade Adepitan made television history. And Ant and Dec are back where they belong.
Filming began on Friday on the Gold Coast, and the opening scenes are already in the can. On Saturday, Rooney and Adepitan completed a skydive on to a beach. Meanwhile, four more campmates rolled in by beach buggy as four helicopters circled overhead. Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly appeared on set for the first time. Dec giggled ahead of the arrivals, while Ant vaped after touching down by helicopter.
When does I’m A Celebrity 2026 start?
I’m A Celebrity 2026 starts on Monday 16 November at 9pm on ITV1, STV and ITVX. The series should run for around three weeks. Campmates will leave one by one. Then the public will crown a King or Queen of the Jungle in a live final in early December. It is the show’s 26th series, and it remains one of the biggest ratings draws on British television.
The camp sits in Dungay, near Murwillumbah in New South Wales. However, the weather may cause trouble before the first trial. Forecasters have warned of severe thunderstorms, heavy rain and damaging winds around the camp. They have even raised the risk of giant hailstones and flash flooding.
Wayne Rooney’s skydive: the fear he finally faced
Rooney, 41, has admitted that jumping out of a plane was his biggest fear. He had signed up to skydive three times before and backed out every time. This time he went through with it, and onlookers said he landed on the beach beaming.
The former England and Manchester United captain is following his wife Coleen into the jungle. She finished as runner-up in the 2024 series, losing the crown to McFly’s Danny Jones. Rooney has said he wants viewers to see him as a genuine person after years of tabloid headlines. For him, the jungle is the chance to do it. After football, he moved into management. He led Derby County, D.C. United, Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle, and now he works as a TV pundit. The jungle also pays well for big names. Our guide to how much reality TV stars get paid breaks down the numbers.
Ade Adepitan makes I’m A Celebrity history
Adepitan, 53, will be the first wheelchair user to take part in I’m A Celebrity. The show has run for 24 years. The Paralympic wheelchair basketball medallist won bronze with Great Britain at Athens 2004. He contracted polio as an infant and has used a wheelchair since childhood. He now presents the BBC’s The Travel Show and has fronted Paralympics coverage for Channel 4.
Producers have spent nine months adapting the camp so he can move around it freely. Talks began last year, and in February he flew to Australia with producers to advise on the changes. He arrived on set in an electric wheelchair built for tough ground, including sand. He should also take on most of the roughly 23 Bushtucker Trials, including the famous Celebrity Cyclone.
I’m A Celebrity 2026 line-up in full
ITV confirmed 11 campmates this week, mixing sport, music, comedy, television and social media. Here is the full class of 2026:
| Campmate | Age | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Wayne Rooney | 41 | Former England and Manchester United captain |
| Joanna Page | 49 | Gavin & Stacey star |
| Ade Adepitan | 53 | Paralympian and TV presenter |
| Ricky Wilson | 48 | Kaiser Chiefs frontman |
| AJ Odudu | 38 | Big Brother presenter |
| Chloe Burrows | 30 | Love Island finalist |
| Claire Sweeney | 55 | Brookside and Coronation Street actor |
| Mariella Frostrup | 63 | Journalist and broadcaster |
| Leomie Anderson | 33 | Model and Glow Up host |
| Jack Skipper | 41 | Comedian |
| Sharky | 30 | YouTuber and Beta Squad member |
Joanna Page, best known as Stacey in Gavin & Stacey, joins the group. So do Kaiser Chiefs singer Ricky Wilson, Love Island finalist Chloe Burrows and Big Brother host AJ Odudu. Overall, it is one of the most varied line-ups the show has put together in years.
The road to launch: key dates
- February 2026: Adepitan flies to Australia with producers to advise on making the camp accessible.
- 11 November 2026: ITV confirms the full 11-person line-up.
- 12–13 November: Campmates arrive in Australia, with Mariella Frostrup and Jack Skipper spotted landing.
- 14 November: Rooney and Adepitan film the opening skydive on a Gold Coast beach.
- 16 November: I’m A Celebrity 2026 launches at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Storms, trials and a rumoured late arrival
The camp faces a stormy start, with severe thunderstorm warnings in place across New South Wales. Meanwhile, reports suggest comedian Leigh Francis could arrive later in the series as a surprise late entrant. He is best known as Keith Lemon. That remains unconfirmed, and ITV has not announced any extra campmates.
What’s next for I’m A Celebrity 2026?
The launch show airs on Monday at 9pm. From there, the nightly routine takes over: trials, camp chores, rice and beans, and the public vote. So the big questions are simple. Can Rooney go one better than Coleen? Will Adepitan’s history-making run change the show for good? And who will the public crown in early December? We will have the answers as the series unfolds.
