Wayne Rooney is planning to sneak a banned item into I’m a Celeb, but a former Man United teammate has already shared their chat about it.
Wayne Rooney’s plan to secretly bring a surprise item into camp has been revealed ahead of his appearance on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! 2026.
The Manchester United and England legend has signed up for the 26th series of the ITV reality show, following his wife Coleen’s footsteps. Rooney has now arrived in Australia, ready to take on the jungle’s Bushtucker trials and challenges.
After shedding some weight and getting into great shape, the former Birmingham City and Derby County manager is all set for the tough camp life. His strict diet will likely help him cope with eating mostly rice and beans. But one of his old teammates let slip that Rooney plans to sneak in something special.
Nicky Butt shared on the Good, the Bad and the Football podcast that Rooney wants to bring white pepper tucked into his waistband. “I asked him what he was bringing, and he said, ‘White pepper,’ and he’s planning to tip it out when he needs it,” Butt said. Paul Scholes was puzzled at first, but the host explained that the pepper would add much-needed flavor to the simple camp meals.
Wayne won’t be the first Rooney to smuggle a treat in. When Coleen was on the show, she brought collagen sachets to keep her hair, nails, and skin looking good. While campmates faced punishments for sneaking in items like tea bags and spices, Coleen cleverly avoided getting caught and even finished second in 2024.
This year, Rooney is the headline star — one of the biggest names ever to join the jungle, hosted by Ant and Dec. But he won’t earn as much money as Coleen did from her time on the show.
According to the X account @superTV247, Rooney is expected to make around £800,000, making him the highest-paid contestant of the series by far. Next is Kaiser Chiefs’ frontman Ricky Wilson, who’s expected to earn about £175,000.
Rooney will earn more than Olympian Caitlyn Jenner and former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp, but still around £700,000 less than Coleen, who’s one of the highest-paid stars on the show alongside MP Nigel Farage.