‘Coronation Street’ star Craig Charles has confirmed that he will be heading into the ‘I’m A Celebrity’ jungle, after being spotted arriving in Australia a week before the new series kicks off.
Craig - who plays cabbie Lloyd Mullaney in the ITV soap - said he had to get special permission from ‘Corrie’ bosses to take part in the reality series, but seems keen to get stuck in and enjoy himself in the jungle.
Craig Charles
Speaking to The Mirror, he revealed: "I signed up because it's an adventure, isn't it?
"It's an ITV show, ‘Coronation Street’ is an ITV show, they talked and said 'get him in there'.”
As well as his work on the cobbles, where he has been for almost a decade, Craig is well known for his role in the sci-fi sitcom ‘Red Dwarf’, and has toured the UK extensively both as a stand-up comedian and a DJ.
Craig’s ‘Corrie’ co-star Antony Cotton was given a few weeks off from the soap in 2011 so he could take part in ‘I’m A Celebrity’, eventually finishing in fourth place.
Other stars who have already landed in Australia ahead of the series launch include motorbike racing legend Carl Fogarty and ‘’Allo ‘Allo’ actress Vicki Michelle, neither of whom had been rumoured for the series before they were spotted Down Under.
Melanie Sykes and ‘TOWIE’ cast member Gemma Collins are both also thought to be taking part, while former ‘X Factor’ hopeful Jake Quickenden might also be putting in an appearance.
And as you can see, they aren’t the only ones rumoured to be tackling spiders, rats and kangaroo testicles in the name of light entertainment...