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I’m A Celebrity 2020 full line-up revealed as BBC Radio 1 DJ Jordan North becomes final contestant to rough it in Wales
THE line-up for this year's very chilly I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! is now complete with only 10 days to go until the stars are forced to camp out in a castle in north Wales.
The Sun can exclusively reveal Radio 1 DJ Jordan North is the final name in the eclectic line-up - with EastEnders favourite Shane Richie, Olympics legend Mo Farah and Corrie's Beverley Callard also in the mix.
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All 12 stars can now be unveiled for this year’s I’m A Celebrity in Gwrych Castle in Abergele, North Wales, rather than tropical Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia.
Ant and Dec will return as hosts for the show's start on November 15.
The new set at the previously derelict 200-year-old castle will include familiar features such as the central camp fire, congregation and task areas, and an outside toilet.
Here are the 12 brave campmates currently taking part in a two-week quarantine before braving the first ever I'm A Celeb filmed in the UK after the coronavirus pandemic destroyed the annual jaunt to the jungle.
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Jordan North
Radio 1 DJ Jordan North, 30, is the last contestant who completes this year's line-up, The Sun can exclusively reveal.
Jordan is affectionately known at the station as “the supply teacher”.
The floppy-haired lad is bound to be a hit with the ladies.
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Shane Richie
EastEnders favourite Shane Richie, 56, has agreed to take part in the ITV show, The Sun exclusively revealed.
Dad-of-five Shane is best known for his time on Albert Square as loveable rogue Alfie Moon alongside on-screen wife Kat Slater — played by Jessie Wallace, 49.
As well as being a staple of British TV for nearly three decades, he is also an in-demand panto favourite around Christmas time.
An insider told The Sun: “ITV have always wanted Shane for the jungle but with panto not happening this year and other work opportunities less likely, he decided this was the time to take the plunge.
“Going to North Wales is less of a huge commitment than flying halfway across the world, too, so he jumped at the chance.
“He’s already being talked about by production as an early favourite as he’s such a likeable bloke and known to millions of soap fans.
“ITV are delighted they’ve managed to convince him to take part.”
Shane — sure to be a front-runner to be crowned “king” — follows a long line of former Walford stars who have taken part, including past winners Charlie Brooks, Joe Swash and Jacqueline Jossa.
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Beverley Callard
Beverley Callard, 63, will be the oldest celebrity on the show this year.
The Corrie actress, who has played feisty barmaid Liz McDonald on the soap for 31 years, is said to be raking in an estimated £125,000 pay cheque for I'm A Celeb.
The Liz McDonald star has a lot to live up to as soap stars often do well on the show.
Last year, fellow Corrie star Andy Whyment lost out to EastEnders' Jacqueline Jossa in the final.
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Jessica Plummer
EastEnders actress Jessica Plummer, 28, who was also in a pop band, hopes to repeat the success last year of fellow Walford star Jacqueline Jossa, The Sun exclusively revealed.
Producers believe Jessica, whose character Chantelle was murdered last month, will add some glamour to the show.
A source said: “Soap stars always do well in the show. Just look at Jessica’s Enders’ predecessor Jacqueline Jossa last year.
“Bosses are delighted to be able to convince her to take part.
“It’s a great move for both parties as she’s just left the soap and this is a great opportunity for her personality to be shown to millions.
"She hopes it will be a real stepping stone for her career.”
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Mo Farah
Olympic hero Sir Mo Farah, 37, will be there too, as The Sun exclusively revealed.
The four-times Olympic gold medallist is sure to be among the favourites to be crowned King of the Castle as he takes his first strides into reality TV.
Mo first started watching the ITV series a decade ago when one of his sporting heroes former sprinter Linford Christie took part.
A telly insider told The Sun: “Mo’s been a big fan of the show for years and was just waiting for the right time in his career to do it.
“He obviously has an excellent level of fitness and mental focus so will be great at the Bushtucker Trials and will be a positive addition for keeping up team morale for campmates - especially as a lot of the celebs are worried how cold it will be."
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AJ Pritchard
After sensationally quitting the BBC contest in March, pro dancer AJ Prirtchard, 25, is preparing to spend three weeks sleeping in the dirt in a dingy castle for the new series of I’m A Celebrity.
In his four years in Strictly he became one of the most popular pros, reaching the semi-finals in three consecutive series, with gymnast Claudia Fragapane, Radio 1 DJ Mollie King and Paralympian Lauren Steadman.
AJ announced he was quitting just three days after the UK went into the lockdown that has devastated the entertainment industry.
After The Sun exclusively announced his place on I'm A Celeb, he told us he was looking forward to doing something different, being “a normal person” and not just a dancer.
“I did four years of Strictly, which I absolutely loved, but it was definitely the right time for me to venture into new things," he said.
“Strictly wouldn’t allow a lot of things to happen that I wanted to happen, so it meant you do have to do that leap, and for me it’s not a risk, it’s something I’m passionate about.”
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Vernon Kay
Vernon Kay is said to have signed a staggering £250k deal to appear on I'm A Celebrity 2020.
The 46-year-old star has been approached several times in the past, but ITV bosses have only just managed to sign him up.
Producers are thrilled to have snapped him up for a quarter of a million pounds, with the TV presenter due to appear on the reality show while his wife Tess Daly presents Strictly Come Dancing in the UK.
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Giovanna Fletcher
Mums' podcast host Giovanna Fletcher is also getting ready to join the star-studded line-up, as The Sun exclusively revealed.
The 35-year-old, married to McFly singer Tom, has a big online following.
A source said: “Giovanna is a brilliant signing. She’s incredibly popular on Instagram with mums and has over 1.3million followers.
“She’s moved in famous circles for years. Not only is she best pals with Emma Willis but she’s close to royalty, married to a boyband star and her brother is Mario Falcone from Towie. She’s decided the time is right to embrace the limelight.”
The mum-of-three is also a best-selling author with 11 books to her name.
She is currently isolating in a holiday cottage with her family in Anglesey.
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Ruthie Henshall
West End actress, singer and dancer Ruthie Henshall, 53, will be a contestant in 2020, as The Sun exclusively revealed.
The West End veteran is a former lover of Prince Edward.
She was often smuggled into Buckingham Palace during their relationship.
Ruthie has admitted she dated the Prince — now 56 and married to Sophie, Countess of Wessex — in the early 1990s “solidly for a couple of years, but on and off for five”.
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Victoria Derbyshire
Victoria Derbyshire was exclusively confirmed as a 2020 contestant by The Sun just months after the BBC axed her daily talk show.
The popular 52-year-old BBC journalist and news-reader is a well-respected figure in TV.
Victoria had a single mastectomy after a breast cancer diagnosis in 2015.
An insider said: “Victoria is always game for a challenge so when she was approached for I’m A Celebrity she jumped at the chance.
“It’s always something she’s wanted to do but because of her family she’s never wanted to fly to Australia and be away from them for so long.
“When the show moved to Wales and the opportunity came up, she didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth so said yes straight away."
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Hollie Arnold
Paralympian Hollie Arnold, 26, will be swapping athletics for the castle as revealed by The Sun.
She is a record-breaking British parasport javelin athlete so will be an asset during the more physical Bushtucker Trials.
She competed at the Rio Paralympics in 2016, 2017 World Championships and the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
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Russell Watson
Operatic tenor Russell Watson, 53, will swap the stage for camp this winter as The Sun exclusively reported.
He is famous for being a judge on BBC One’s 2008 talent show Last Choir Standing.
Russell’s appearance on the show came after he fought off a near-fatal brain tumour in 2007, which required emergency surgery and an extensive rehabilitation programme.
And he has admitted he needs the fee after a "year of no work".
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