Coleen Rooney set to become new Holly Willoughby as she’s poised to sign big money ITV deal cashing in on I’m a Celeb
I’M a Celebrity star Coleen Rooney is poised to bag a mega-money deal that could see her become the new Holly Willoughby — if she continues to perform well in the jungle.
Her every move is being closely observed by bosses at ITV as they eye her up to be a presenter on a new batch of lucrative shows backed by big-spending advertisers.
They also want to tap into the “Coleen Effect”, which sees thousands copy her purchases — such as the £1,000 silk pyjamas the 38-year-old Wag wore to fly to Australia and have now virtually sold out.
A TV insider said: “Coleen already brings with her the Midas touch when it comes to endorsing the kinds of products which ITV’s advertisers sell.
“She has over a million followers on Instagram alone, and most of them scan her pictures and observe everything she wears and buys.
“The more glamorous Love Islanders and some soap stars also have large online followings and hugely influence what social media users spend their money on.
“But Coleen has the girl-next-door charm of someone like Holly to connect with millions of ordinary shoppers in a way that few other stars do.
“But they’ll also be watching her time in the jungle to see how she fares and just what the public reaction is to her.
“There are vast sums of money at stake with the deals for the new batch of ITV shows which they are considering her up for.”
She could now appear in shows bankrolled by some of Britain’s biggest firms.
The channel is set to introduce more advertiser funded programmes (AFPs), where companies not only sponsor shows but also pay the costs of creating them.
Recent examples include ITV’s Cooking with the Stars, hosted by Emma Willis, and M&S: Dress for Less with AJ Odudu and Vernon Kay.
Both were paid for by M&S, but more are in the pipeline with other big companies involved.
Mum-of-four Coleen, wife of former England footie skipper Wayne Rooney, has previously presented for the channel on a sporadic basis.
She co-hosted on a 2006 episode of Tonight with Trevor McDonald and on 2008’s Coleen’s Real Women, when she looked for females to front ad campaigns.
Last year she was seen in a Disney+ documentary, Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, which chronicled her courtroom clash with rival Rebekah Vardy.
It was a huge hit for the streaming platform.
But she has been brought firmly back into the ITV arena by signing up for the jungle, with reports she may also now be regarded as a potential panellist on the hit daytime talk show Loose Women.
A spokeswoman for ITV and Coleen declined to comment.
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.”