Coleen Rooney, who is regarded as the biggest star taking part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 2024, has refuted claims she will skip Bushtucker trials due to her chronic illness.
This month, the ITV series is set to return with one of the most star-studded line-ups ever branded by viewers as the show’s strongest yet.
Yesterday, the entire cast was officially confrimed with stars including Maura Higgins, Danny Jones, Tulisa Contostavlos, Oti Mabuse and GK Barry tipped to be entering the jungle in Australia.
Joining them is Wagatha Christie star Coleen, 38, who has reportedly secured the biggest deal in the show’s history, surpassing Nigel Farage’s £1.5million fee that he received last year.
It was later claimed, however, that she would be exempt from several of the highly-anticipated Bushtucker Trials due to her reactive arthritis – which she has now denied as ‘a load of rubbish.’
Confirming she would be a campmate on her Instagram Stories, Coleen said: ‘There’s been a lot of news saying I can’t do trials because of certain illnesses, but I can confirm I can do every trial so I’m not excluded for any. That was just a load of rubbish.’
Coleen also explained her motivation for heading to the jungle: ‘They’ve asked me for so many years now. I’ve always said no and put it off because the kids have been young and I’ve had quite a lot on.
‘But this year, I thought, I quite fancy doing it. I would like to experience something different, do something for myself, meet new people. I’m looking forward to doing the trials.’
A source had previously claimed executives had excused Coleen from trials because they ‘wanted to keep her happy and healthy’ when the programme begins.
‘The duty of care on I’m A Celeb is second to none and over the years the cast have been ruled out of challenges for a string of different reasons,’ they told The Sun.
‘Some might have seemed trivial to viewers but the health and happiness of the celebs is of execs’ utmost concern. Coleen’s reactive arthritis being triggered by stress means execs want to wrap her in cotton wool and keep her happy and healthy.’
The insider added that the condition ‘is currently under control’, so at this point, it’s not certain that it would prevent her from doing Bushtucker Trials.
‘But her physical health will be monitored and, if she suffers a flare-up, her ability to perform each trial will be considered on a case-by-case basis,’ they stated.
The NHS outlines that reactive arthritis is a condition that ‘causes redness and swelling (inflammation) in various joints in the body, especially the knees, feet, toes, hips and ankles’.
What are symptoms of reactive arthritis?
The NHS explains that symptoms of reactive arthritis ‘develop shortly after you get an infection, such as a sexually transmitted infection or bowel infection’.
- The main symptom of reactive arthritis is ‘pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints and tendons’. This might be the only sypmtom.
- The condition can also affect the genital tract and eyes.
Reactive arthritis is most common in the knees, feet, toes, hips and ankles.
The NHS states that symptoms can include:
- Pain, tenderness and swelling in your joints
- Pain and tenderness in some tendons, especially at the heels
- Pain in your lower back and buttocks
- Sausage-like swelling of your fingers and toes
- Joint stiffness – particularly in the morning
Genital tract symptoms can include:
- Needing to pee suddenly, or more often than usual
- Pain or a burning sensation when peeing
- Smelly or cloudy pee
- Blood in your pee
- Pain in your lower tummy
- Feeling tired and unwell
Eye symptoms can include:
- Red eyes
- Watery eyes
- Eye pain
- Swollen eyelids
- Sensitivity to light
For more information and advice, visit the NHS website here.
While reactive arthritis can often clear up ‘within a few months’ and not result in ‘long-term problems’, the condition can also become chronic in some people.
Last year, Coleen revealed in her documentary Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story that her court trial against Rebeah Vardy, 42, caused her reactive arthritis to flare up.
‘It caused anxiety and there were lots of tears,’ she said. ‘I have reactive arthritis. I’ve had it previously, but this situation brought it on a lot more.
‘It stripped me of my character, and I didn’t want to socialise with people. I was completely in my own world. It was not a nice place to be.’
While it is understandable if a celebrity is unable to take part in a Bushtucker Trial on I’m A Celebrity because of a health condition, there are some viewers who are always angry whenever the stars can’t participate in challenges, regardless of the reason.
In November 2022, former cammate Nicola McLean – who was the seventh star eliminated from the show in 2008 before Joe Swash was crowned the King of the Jungle – gave her views on the topic.
‘That’s another thing that annoys me – a few people in my year, who I love, don’t get me wrong, were exempt,’ she said on Instagram, according to The Sun.
‘And it’s like if you can’t go in and do everything you shouldn’t really be in there, do you see what I mean?’
Metro.co.uk has contacted ITV and representatives of Coleen Rooney for comment.
Hot Property Picks from Metro
Londoners upset as spot that was ‘amazing in the 90s’ to be replaced
What I Rent: I’m a YouTube star paying £3,000 per month for my Tottenham 2-bed
The world’s ‘loneliest’ house is so lonely that no one has ever lived there
We live in a £69,000 tiny home — but it’s not as cheap as it looks
For £650,000, you could live like royalty in this tiny European country