The 23rd season of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! is on its way and rumour has it another star-studded line-up is set to hit viewer’s TV screens.
The official cast is yet to be revealed as ten eager celebrities are expected to enter the camp in a bid to be crowned king or queen of the jungle.
Footballer Jill Scott was crowned as last year’s winner, with the Lioness beating Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner and former health secretary Matt Hancock.
For this year, celebrities rumoured to be taking part include This Morning’s Josie Gibson, First Dates star Fred Sirieix, EastEnder Danielle Harold, JLS singer Marvin Humes, right-wing politician Nigel Farage and more.
Now, as enticing as eating live insects might be to some, there have been a few stars resisting the call to the jungle.
Here are a few...
Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan has made his thoughts very clear on what he thought of the show— (PA)
Presenter and Journalist Piers Morgan has made his thoughts very clear on the show.
In 2021, in a column in the Daily Mail, Morgan said: “Let me make one thing crystal clear: there’s no way I’m ever exposing myself to a series of ghastly gastronomic humiliations for the delectation of the British public. When I munch kangaroo testicles, I do so in the privacy of my home.”
The year before, Morgan wrote on X/Twitter that it would take £10m for him to join the show.
Lisa Riley
The actress said she turned down many offers— (PA)
Emmerdale actor Lisa Riley claims she turned down several offers from the ITV show.
The 47-year-old actress told The Daily Star she was asked “every year”. She added: “They dangle that big carrot every year. I’ve always said ‘no’, but the older I get... I’m 47. I always go ‘Corr, I’m getting old.’ But in my head I always feel like I’m 19, I’m never going to change who I am."
Riley told the outlet she will not be joining the show this year. "I don’t know if that’s good telly. I’d be my usual confident self. I’d be doing dance routines around the fire. I think you put me in a tank of cockroaches, I could probably do that okay. I don’t know, but you never know, but I’m certainly not going in this year, that’s for a fact!,” she said.
Gloria Hunniford
The Loose Women panellist said she wanted a “challenge” but decided I’m A Celeb might not be the best fit for her— (PA)
Television presenter and radio broadcaster Gloria Hunniford revealed why she turned down the opportunity to appear on the show in 2019.
The 83-year-old Loose Women panellist said she met the producers and the show’s editor that year because she “wanted to challenge” herself. But decided that it might not be the best thing for her after speaking to the show’s team.
"When they were really honest with me about what it was like, I thought, well, I’m allergic to mosquitoes really badly, I’m a hospital case with that," she explained.
"I could do without the food I think... I don’t think I could do all the picking up of wood with my dodgy knee. I don’t think I could do the snake bit, and I certainly couldn’t eat a pig’s brain."
Warwick Davis
Star of Harry Potter, Warwick Davis also rejected the show— (PA)
Hollywood actor and star of Harry Potter, Warwick Davis was another one of the big names who turned down the show.
In an interview with Radio Times in 2015, Davis said: "I’m a Celebrity... I just didn’t fancy it, not because of the challenge of going into the jungle, but because I only choose to do stuff that I think will help move me forward."
James Arthur
The 35-year-old said he was offered “life-changing amounts of money” but resisted— (PA)
Winner of X-Factor 2012, singer James Arther admitted that he was offered money for I’m a Celeb which was hard to resist.
The 35-year-old told The Daily Star in 2016: “I got offered loads of reality shows including I’m A Celebrity and Celebrity Big Brother.
“They were life-changing amounts of money. The most I got offered was £250,000 for CBB, which I really needed at the time, not knowing if I had a career.
"It was a great option for me and my family but I wanted to stay true to my music and I am proud of that decision.”
Natasha Kaplinsky
The former Strictly winner said she declined an offer from the show in 2013— (PA)
In 2013, Journalist and newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky ruled out an appearance on I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
The former Strictly winner said she had been invited to join the show but chose to decline the offer.
At the time she said: "The Bank of England does not have enough money to get me in there. "I’ve been invited and I said a very firm but polite ‘no’."
Julie Goodyear
The actress rejected all offers after she found out she was not allowed to smoke on the plane journey— (PA)
Former Coronation Street’s Julie Goodyear also turned down a stint on the show.
The actress rejected all offers after she found out she was not allowed to smoke on the 23-hour plane journey from the UK to Australia, according to the Mirror.
Lisa Mary London, former I’m A Celeb producer, also revealed in her book: "Soap legend Julie Goodyear frustrated me when she rang in person to say she’d love to do the show if we could get her to Australia by boat.
"A 23-hour flight without frequent cigarette breaks was out of the question for the chain-smoking soap diva."
I’m a Celebrity..., Get Me Out of Here! will launch on Sunday 19 November.
