I’ve been in the I’m A Celeb jungle – here’s why bosses won’t get their money’s worth out of £1.5million Coleen Rooney
I’M A Celebrity bosses broke the bank to land £1.5m signing Coleen Rooney.
But show legend Dean Gaffney, 46, claims the savvy mum-of-four won’t dish out the explosive Wagatha Christine and family gossip they’d hoped for.
There’s been the odd bit of insight into family life, with Coleen sharing husband Wayne’s softer side and the love notes he leaves her, but she’s remained tight-lipped on her libel court battle with Rebekah Vardy.
Other than the occasional mention of it by campmates like Dean McCullough early on, there’s been no deep dive on the famous court clash.
“What I think about Coleen as a whole, I think she’s kept a very dignified silence, which is what I like to see,” said Dean in an exclusive interview with The Sun on behalf of online bingo site, Heart Bingo.
“Whatever your feelings are on that whole saga, it’s kind of irrelevant. I think, you know, once it’s done, you kind of move on from it. I think she feels like she’s done that.
“Obviously the producers aren’t silly, they’re paying an obscene amount of money to open up about that saga.
“But I also think just the fact that she’s, you know, the wife of a huge footballer. They’ve obviously had their testing times for their marriage. And I think, again, sort of very clever in what they do.”
But EastEnders legend Dean, who first entered the jungle in 2006 before starring in All Stars in 2023, doesn’t think the lack of juicy gossip will harm Coleen’s chances of being crowned Queen of the Jungle.
“I think Coleen kind of goes under the bracket of Cheryl Cole and Michelle Keegan, that women love her and men want to be with her,” he said.
“I think it’s that kind of thing. She’s very wholesome and there’s not many people that have that.
“I’ve been around Cheryl and I’ve been around Michelle to know that people just love them people, they just love them characters. And I think Coleen falls into that.
“I think she’s a good mum, and I think it’s all about her family, protecting the family.
“So it’ll be very interesting to see how she copes in camp and whether she opens up because she keeps a dignified silence.
“You know, this ain’t her first rodeo. I think she’ll be very guarded to protect her family. So it’ll be interesting to see what little tidbits she gives us.”
Dean also had his say on squeamish namesake’s penchant for screaming “get me out of here” during trials.
Radio star Dean is being picked day after day by the public to do trials but has failed to get more than a few stars in each.
“When you are a scaredy cat, we live in a country that we like to, and we’re all guilty of it, we like to inflict a little bit of pain on people,” said Dean.
“And we’re a sinister lot, the general public in Great Britain. I think someone screaming is better for us as a viewer than someone who just gets through it, does the trial, gets the ten stars and moves on.
“I think then people don’t really get picked because the show is about us at home, especially in the current climate we’re all in. You know, we’re all going through hardship at the moment.
“I think having a bit of light relief and seeing other people go through a bit of misfortune probably makes us smile a bit.”
I'm A Celebrity 2024
i'm A Celebrity is back for its 24th series, with a batch of famous faces living in the Aussie jungle. The Sun's Jake Penkethman takes a look at the stars on the show this year..
Coleen Rooney – Arguably the most famous name in the camp, the leading WAG, known for her marriage to Wayne Rooney, has made a grand return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four had bagged an eye-watering deal worth over £1.5million to be on the show this year making her the highest-paid contestant ever.
Tulisa – The popstar and former X Factor judge has made her triumphant TV comeback by signing up to this year’s I’m A Celeb after shunning TV shows for many years. Known for being a member of the trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV show The X Factor in a multi-million pound deal.
Alan Halsall – The actor, known for playing the long-running role of Tyrone Dobbs on ITV soap opera Coronation Street, was originally signed up to head Down Under last year but an operation threw his scheduled appearance off-course. Now he has become the latest Corrie star to win over both the viewers and his fellow celebrities.
Melvin Odoom – The Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after rising to fame with presenting roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. Melvin has already been for a spin on the Strictly dancefloor and co-hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015 but now he is facing up to his biggest challenge yet – the Aussie jungle.
GK Barry – The UK’s biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has transformed her TikTok stardom into a lucrative career. Aside from her popular social media channels, she hosts the weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and regularly appears on ITV talk show, Loose Women. She has even gone on to endorse popular brands such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers.
Dean McCullough – A rising star amongst this year’s bunch of celebs, Dean first achieved notability through his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was chosen to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has featured prominently ever since. He has enjoyed a crossover to ITV over the past year thanks to his guest slots on Big Brother spin-off show, Late & Live.
Oti Mabuse – The pro dancer has signed up to her latest TV show after making her way through the biggest programmes on the box. She originally found fame on Strictly Come Dancing but has since branched out into the world of TV judging with appearances on former BBC show The Greatest Dancer as well as her current role on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.
Danny Jones – The McFly star was drafted into the programme last minute as a replacement for Tommy Fury. Danny is the second member of McFly to enter the jungle, after Dougie Poynter won the show in 2011. He is also considered a rising star on ITV as he’s now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice, along with bandmate Tom Fletcher.
Jane Moore – The Loose Women star and The Sun columnist is braving the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge – having recently split from her husband. It will be Jane’s first foray into reality TV with the telly favourite having always said no to reality shows in the past.
Barry McGuigan – Former pro boxer Barry is the latest fighting champ to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a tough few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danika to bowel cancer. He told The Late Late Show in 2021: “She was such an intrinsic part of the family that every day we ache.”
Maura Higgins – The Irish TV beauty first found fame on Love Island where she found a brief connection with dancer Curtis Pritchard. Since then, she has competed on Dancing On Ice as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty contest, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been working on building up her career in the US by being the social media correspondent and host of Aftersun to accompany Love Island USA. She even guest hosted an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, in place of Maya Jama last year.
Rev. Richard Coles – Former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles is a late arrival on I’m A Celebrity, and he’s ready to spill the beans on his former employer. The former Communards and Strictly star, said the BBC did not know its a**e from its elbow last year. An insider said: “Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth.”