'I'm A Celebrity' 2021: Meet the campmates
I'm A Celebrity 2021 is now well underway, with two late arrivals completing the camp at the castle.
Adam Woodyatt and Simon Gregson have the tough job of joining the other 10 celebrities who've all been getting used to the freezing castle for the last few days – will they feel right at home or be on the outside of the main group?
Read more: All the I'm A Celebrity winners so far
Get to know this year's contestants a little better with our guide to who's who.
Late arrival campmates
Just as the first 10 celebs started to get settled in the castle with both camps merging together, they got the shock news that two new people would be joining them.
Viewers saw Adam Woodyatt and Simon Gregson enter camp in the Thursday, 25 November, episode when they appear in a trial that the rest of the group had thought they would be doing.
Adam Woodyatt
53, EastEnders star
Adam Woodyatt is better known to viewers as Ian Beale, the soap role he's played in EastEnders for more than three decades, and now that he's finally taking a break from Albert Square he is looking forward to showing people who he really is.
Woodyatt, currently on extended leave from his day job, said: “I don’t mind if I am first or last in the castle – I am just really looking forward to being on the show.
“Why have I finally said yes? Because I am not in EastEnders! That is the honest answer. I am not in contract with the BBC so I can come and do it. Everyone thinks I am Ian Beale and so it’s going to be great to show I am not.”
Read more: Adam Woodyatt may not return to EastEnders until 2022
The actor, who says he's game for taking on most challenges, is unsure what the future holds for him outside of the I'm a Celeb castle and Walford.
He said: "I might take the summer off and go and work at my mate’s restaurant when he does the pop up stalls at food festivals. I did it a couple of times this summer and I enjoyed it.
"But I am just now really looking forward to doing I’m A Celebrity. Programmes like this were a blessed relief during the lockdowns last year and I can’t wait to go in.”
Simon Gregson
47, Coronation Street star
Like his new co-star Woodyatt, Simon Gregson has spent more than three decades in soapland – but on rival show Coronation Street, where he plays Steve McDonald.
Of course, Gregson's screen mum was played by Beverley Callard for many years who was one of the stars of I'm A Celeb 2020, but the actor said he'd been turning to his real life family for advice on camp instead.
He said: “I’ve not had a chance to ask Beverley Callard what advice she would give me about going in the castle as she is very busy, but my family have all said: ‘Don’t make an idiot of yourself, don’t not do the trials and don’t let us down Dad’.”
Read more: Beverley Callard has 'shut the door on Corrie forever'
The dad of three admitted that people probably wouldn't see too much difference between himself and Steve.
He said: “It’s going to be nice for people to see what I am like without a script for a change. I think people think you are in a huge celebrity bubble when you work on a soap but that is not the case at all.
"It will be nice for them to see me as a normal man but also, there isn’t much difference between the character and myself as I kind of injected myself into the character I play!”
I'm A Celebrity 2021 Campmates
Louise Minchin
53, broadcaster and former BBC Breakfast host
Earlier this year, Minchin quit her role at BBC Breakfast after nearly 20 years with the programme.
She said of entering camp: "I have spent the last 20 years immersed in news every single day. For me to not know what is going on in the news is going to be extraordinary. Not having access to the phone and not constantly scrolling, looking at everything is a difficult thing to let go of but I am also actually looking forward to it."
Read more: Louise Minchin bids farewell to BBC Breakfast after 20 years
Minchin is known for her love of endurance sports and also reached the Celebrity MasterChef final, making her a strong campmate.
Her former co-host Dan Walker is currently competing in Strictly and she said: "I didn’t tell Dan Walker I was doing I’m A Celebrity before coming to Wales but I don’t think he will be surprised! I have been voting for him on Strictly so fingers crossed he will vote for me a lot."
Matty Lee
23, Olympic gold medallist
Diver Matty Lee is best known for having won Olympic gold at the Tokyo Olympics this year with diving partner Tom Daley.
He said: "My two childhood dreams were to win an Olympic medal and take part in my favourite TV series. And now I am doing both this year!
"When I told Tom, he was in shock. He is so excited for me and he has always been so supportive and helped me a lot over the past three years. He gives me advice about anything whether it is relationships or whatever - I always ask Tom."
Lee added: "Everyone knows who Tom Daley is but people don’t necessarily know who I am. But without each other, we would never have achieved what we have achieved."
Snoochie Shy
29, Radio 1Xtra DJ
The radio DJ has given an early warning that she could be this year's Jordan North as she is so scared of heights and bugs that sometimes she's unable to even scream.
Talking about North's entrance to camp last year, she said: "I saw him vomit on top of the mountain and I can relate to that as it was very high."
Shy added: "I’ve seen bugs go up people’s noses before and I am scared bugs are going to go up my private parts.
"I am actually quite a shy person when I am outside my comfort zone."
Richard Madeley
65, TV presenter and journalist
The veteran broadcaster has just joined Good Morning Britain as Susanna Reid's co-host, but is already taking time off for a stay at the Welsh castle.
Madeley is known for his awkward moments on live TV, which have included a fake tanning disaster, and took part in The Circle in 2019 – the same year his son-in-law James Haskell did I'm A Celebrity.
He said: "Up until now, I’ve always been perfectly happy watching as a viewer but recently, I realised I’m A Celebrity is no longer just a TV programme. It’s become part of the fabric of British life and part of the countdown to Christmas.
Read more: Richard Madeley teases I'm A Celebrity appearance
"It suddenly hit me that everyone talks about it the next day and I suddenly wondered what it would be like to be there rather than watching. I realised the time had come to experience it.
"Judy and I talked about it and we realised we couldn’t find a reason for me not to do it."
Madeley has promised not to take himself too seriously and says he is looking forward to taking on the trials.
Dame Arlene Phillips
78, choreographer
Dance guru Phillips was one of the original judges on Strictly Come Dancing and is also known for her work with Pan's People.
She said her former Strictly co-stars would be horrified by her taking part: "Craig will say ‘Darling, are you mad?!’ I still can’t believe I am doing it either but I love and admire everybody who has done the show, I admire their bravery and I have spoken to so many people who have done it.
Read more: Craig Revel Horwood forced to miss Strictly over positive COVID test
"Everyone has loved the experience and told me how it has added something new to their lives and that is why I have said yes this year after being approached before."
Phillips will be the show's oldest ever contestant at 78 and said: "I would like to take on the mum role in the castle. Everyone is going to be younger and if anyone wants to talk to someone or share things with them, then they can with me."
Naughty Boy
36, music producer
Naughty Boy launched his music career after winning a big cash prize as a contestant on Deal Or No Deal and has gone on to work with stars including Beyoncé and Sam Smith.
He said: "I don’t know what people in the music industry will think about me being in the castle but having a break from everything is something I think everyone should have and do once a year. I love my friends and family, but I think it is good to have a break and time out."
Part of the music producer's reason for doing the show is to raise awareness about dementia as his mum, who lives with him, has the condition.
Read more: Dementia diagnosis at 'record high' - how to spot the signs
He said: "I am going to miss Mum the most whilst I am away in the castle. I live with Mum, and I am used to seeing her all the time.
"Mum hasn’t been very well, and it is going to be difficult for me being away. But that said, I think the break will be good for both of us."
Kadeena Cox
30, Paralympic gold medallist
Kadeena Cox was one of the stars of this year's Tokyo Paralympics and explained: "I am scared of spiders, I don’t like rats, I don’t like snakes, and I don’t like heights. But I am hoping the athlete in me will want to do it for the team."
Cox also has another ace up her sleeve as earlier this year she won Celebrity MasterChef, which is sure to make her a popular campmate.
Read more: Kadeena Cox wins Celebrity MasterChef
She said: "It would be cool to be the chef in the castle but at the same time, there will be a lot of pressure to make the food taste good."
Cox has multiple sclerosis and said: "If I were to win I’m A Celebrity as a disabled person and show that I can overcome things, then I think that would be a great thing to show that people with all disabilities can do things."
David Ginola
54, ex-footballer
Series hosts Ant and Dec might well be starstruck this year by footballing legend and former Newcastle United player David Ginola.
The French sportsman said: "I know the Geordies! I’ve met Ant and Dec before and I know they are big massive fans of Newcastle United. When you play for the club, all of the fans are amazing and very faithful. Newcastle is very lucky to have fans like them."
Ginola added that the hardest thing would be missing his daughter, but said: "Because we have been in lockdown many times over the past two years, being locked in a castle for I’m A Celebrity won’t be an issue for me."
Frankie Bridge
32, pop star and presenter
Singer and Loose Women star Bridge's husband, footballer Wayne Bridge, took part in the 2016 series and she says he's been hassling her to take part ever since.
Bridge said: "Ever since Wayne took part, he has been desperate for me to do it too and he can’t wait to watch me squirm and scream! My kids are still quite young, and they still think I am quite cool – so there is a very small window for them to watch it and not be embarrassed."
Read more: Frankie Bridge was 'convinced' she had killed her child during first-time mum anxiety attack
However, the mum-of-two admitted to a long list of phobias: "I’m scared of rats, I am a fussy eater and I have a bit of a phobia of ketchup, so a pint of penis terrifies me! Any of the eating challenges will be my idea of hell.
"I also hate spiders in my own home, being trapped in small spaces is a big thing for me and pretty much all of that is likely to happen which makes me go, ‘Why the hell are you doing it?’ And so that is exactly why I am doing it!"
Danny Miller
30, Emmerdale actor
Soap star Miller will have a tougher time than most leaving his family behind as he and his fiancee Steph Jones only just welcomed their baby son Albert at the end of October.
Miller, who plays Aaron Dingle in Emmerdale, said: "We were due to start IVF earlier this year and that would have meant the baby would have been due next March, so it wouldn’t have mattered.
"But then a miracle happened and Steph fell pregnant (without IVF). I knew my baby would only be about a month old when I went into the castle. I was worried about leaving the baby with Steph on her own but she is a midwife and I know our baby will be in perfect hands."
Read more: Danny Miller becomes a dad
The actor also said his best pal and former soap co-star Adam Thomas, who came third in the 2016 series, had calmed his nerves by offering advice.
He said: "I feel like I am a step ahead as I’ve asked him questions about what it will be like."
I'm A Celebrity 2021 begins on Sunday, 21 November at 9pm on ITV.
Watch: Who's on I'm A Celebrity 2021?