Exclusive:
Former England footballer Wayne could show support for wife Coleen by popping up on the show
ITV bosses are hoping Wayne Rooney could make a special appearance during the I’m A Celebrity series whilst wife Coleen is in camp.
Behind the scenes, show bosses have been brainstorming ways to get Wayne involved, after scenes with Coleen talking about her relationship with her husband went down a storm with viewers. One idea would be for them to bring back a trial where contestants can win short phone calls from family members, which would see Wayne on the other end of the line on the camp’s famous red phonebox.
They also hope if Coleen gets to the final stages of the show, former footballer Wayne will be the one that sends in a letter from home. A final possibility would be a video message from Wayne and the children if Coleen was in the final.
A TV source said: “Bosses like to keep the contestants isolated from the outside world as much as possible. But towards the end of the series they will offer up little prizes which allow access to loved ones like the letters from home and sometimes calls from home and maybe even videos could happen.
“People loved it when Harry Redknapp was reunited with his wife Sandra in camp. That can’t happen as Wayne isn’t going to Australia so they are looking at other options to get him involved as they know it would be a big hit with viewers and Coleen.”
Coleen now has her luxury item which is a pillow with a photo the family album with her and Wayne posing with their four children. In camp, Coleen has recalled the early days of dating Wayne and said: “I was still at school when he was playing for Everton. I used to walk out and all the girls were going, ‘Whose is that car there?’ And he was in a Bentley and something else and there’s Wayne in the passenger seat with his arm out and one of the players like Thomas Gravesen.”
She added: “I just used to get embarrassed” Clarifying it wasn’t his car, “He just used to get a lift home!”
Coleen also told the story of when she was going to her friend’s 18th birthday party, she got a call from Wayne’s cousin beforehand, asking if she spelt her name with 1 L or 2. When she asked why, he said ‘I’m just with our Wayne in town, he’s getting a tattoo’.”
Coleen explained: “I had not long been going with him. I go to this party later on, and he’s going to everybody like this [mocks showing her arm]. He’d got my name tattooed on him! At 17!”
Wayne will be unable to go to Austalia to show his support as he is managing Plymouth Argyle in the Championship. The two youngest children in the Rooney family will be going Down Under to support their mum.
Coleen is already looking forward to being reunited with her four children – Kai, 15, Klay, 11, Kit, 8, and Cass, six – although possibly taking after their father and his love of football, it turns out they won’t all be coming to Australia.
Before she went in camp she told the Mirror: “My two youngest ones are coming over. They all had the option but the two older ones decided that they would stay at home to continue with school and football. I think I said when you come you’ll have to bring your work with you, and they would be missing some football tournaments, so they quickly changed their minds!
“And also the fact that they don’t know when they get to see me. That was another big thing, is if I did last and stayed in close to the end, there’s not going to be any time spent with me so I explained that.
“Obviously, I would have liked them all to come out but it makes sense in a way and they both chose a wise decision not to miss out on anything back home and as soon as the show’s over, I’m back straight away. So, it’s one of those things, I put it in their hands, they decided and I agree with it really. I think it was missing the football that really did it for them, they didn’t want to miss any tournaments.”
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