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Coleen Rooney’s debut in the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! jungle has already gone down a storm with viewers, after she joined the star-studded lineup in the launch episode on Sunday.
The WAG, 38, caused a social media frenzy when it was revealed she would be jetting to Australia for the new series, with bosses reportedly splashing out on a £1.5 million salary.
And while Coleen’s arrival into the jungle was chaotic to say the least, the star has already won over many fans with her down-to-earth nature, meaning she’s already being tipped to take the famous crown in three weeks time.
Hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly were also quick to poke fun at her recent legal battle, joking early in the show that there would be ‘plenty more’ to come.
So, as viewers see Coleen settle into life in the I’m A Celebrity jungle, MailOnline takes a look at the star’s best moments during an action packed opening episode…
Coleen Rooney’s debut in the I’m A Celebrity jungle has already gone down a storm with viewers, after she joined the star-studded lineup in the launch episode on Sunday
The WAG caused a social media frenzy when it was revealed she would be jetting to Australia for the new series, with bosses reportedly splashing out on a £1.5 million salary
A chaotic arrival into camp
Coleen made a splash during Sunday night’s opening episode, as she managed to capsize her canoe in the opening minutes of the show
Dean McCullough offered fans their first nod to Coleen’s famous courtroom drama, as he declared: ‘Wagatha Christie you’re coming with me!’
The 10 celebs were tasked to race down the river on a rowing boat and in order to release a boat, the celebrities had to find a key, hidden inside a Hell Hole on the river bank
After getting wet Dean joked: ‘We were the Titanic, they were the iceberg and we all know how that story ends!’
Coleen made a splash during Sunday night’s opening episode of I’m A Celeb, as she managed to capsize her canoe in the opening minutes of the show.
Coleen and Radio 1 DJ Dean McCullough got off to a rough start as their boat capsized in the tense first challenge as the 10 celebs were tasked to race down the river on a rowing boat, before quickly capsizing.
The boat drama was part of a big budget opening to the series which also saw Danny Jones, Tulisa, Jane Moore, Dean, and Oti Mabuse skydive into the jungle.
Meanwhile, Barry McGuigan, GK Barry, Alan Halsall, Coleen, and Melvin Odoom waited at the beach for the other five campmates to join them.
The celebrities doing the sky dive then had to take their turns to pick which celebrity they wanted to compete in a race to the finish line.
Once it was Dean’s choice to pick between Coleen or his Radio 1 colleague Melvin, he said: ‘Melvin, I’m so so sorry! Wagatha Christie you’re coming with me!’.
Before getting into their boats, the celebrities had to find a key, hidden inside a Hell Hole on the river bank.
Dean had a bright idea for him and Coleen to block the hole in their boat with his jacket and her scarf, but they quickly started to sink again.
Recalling the race, Dean joked: ‘There is nothing more petrifying than a Barry McGuigan on a mission. We were the Titanic, they were the iceberg and we all know how that story ends!’
Cheeky car gag
Coleen briefly offered a glimpse into the lavish lifestyle she’s become accustomed to as the wife of a former England star, quipping she’s ‘used to driving big cars’
Coleen briefly offered a glimpse into the lavish lifestyle she’s become accustomed to as the wife of a former England star, as she and Dean jumped behind the wheel of a Range Rover after being paired up for the race.
The pair rushed to a car to drive to camp and viewers were left in stitches when Coleen said: ‘I’m used to driving big cars.’
Dean immediately replied: ‘Of course you are babes… I used to drive a Ford Fiesta.’
Insight into married life
After arriving in the camp Coleen revealed husband Wayne ‘fought to get her’ as she opened up about their marriage
Her 16-year marriage to Wayne – whom she met when they were both 12 while growing up in Liverpool – has not been without its public scandals
After arriving in the camp Coleen revealed husband Wayne ‘fought to get her’ as she opened up about their marriage.
As Coleen, 38, settled in with her campmates, she didn’t shy away from speaking about their love life.
Her 16-year marriage to Wayne – whom she met when they were both 12 while growing up in Liverpool – has not been without its public scandals.
The WAG, who married the football legend in 2008, revealed ‘it wasn’t love at first sight’ when she first met Wayne.
Sitting around the campfire, Coleen chatted to her fellow campmates GK Barry, Oti Mabuse and Jane Moore.
Oti asked: ‘And it was love at first sight?’
Coleen replied: ‘No it was for him, not for me. He fought to get me, yeah.
‘I waited until I’d done my GCSEs and then I went on a date. I was pretty good at school.’
Opening up further about their first date at the cinema, she admitted: ‘We had a kiss around the church first.’
Before they tied the knot in a stunning ceremony in the village of Portofino on the Italian Riviera in 2008, Wayne admitted sleeping with prostitutes after being caught on CCTV at a backstreet Liverpool brothel.
One was a 48-year-old grandmother known as ‘Auld Slapper’ who wore a rubber catsuit.
Then came his threesome with two more, Helen Wood and Jenny Thompson, at The Lowry Hotel in Manchester in 2010.
Most recently, in 2017, he was caught driving Cheshire-based estate agent Laura Simpson’s car while over the drink-drive limit. But Coleen has stood by him through all of it.
Due to his football commitments, Wayne will not be jetting out to Australia to greet Coleen when she leaves the camp over its iconic bridge.
… but no shortage of Wagatha Christie references!
Mere minutes into the start of I’m A Celebrity’s new series, hosts Ant and Dec managed to land their first quip about Coleen’s recent courtroom drama with Rebekah Vardy
Mere minutes into the start of I’m A Celebrity’s new series, hosts Ant and Dec managed to land their first quip about Coleen’s recent courtroom drama with Rebekah Vardy.
Viewers watched as Coleen managed to capsize her canoe, shortly after the cheeky quip from the duo who teased: ‘It’ll be nice for Coleen to face a trial that doesn’t involve Rebekah Vardy‘.
Ant then promised: ‘There will be plenty more [of these jokes]!’ as fans rushed to social media branding the pair ‘legends’.
The pair were true to their words and later when revealing the campmates were getting to know to each other and delving into their personal lives, said: ‘First up it’s the account of …. Coleen Rooney’ – in reference to her viral social media post where she accused Rebekah of leaking ‘false stories’ about her private life to the press.
Wagatha Christie is the popular name given to Coleen and Rebekah Vardy‘s £1.8 million court case, which culminated in a 2022 highly-publicised legal battle.
It began when Coleen put a widely-shared post on Instagram which accused Rebekah of leaking ‘false stories’ about her private life to the press.
Rebekah denied the allegations and sued Coleen for libel, but the case – dubbed the ‘Wagatha Christie’ trial – found in Coleen’s favour, and left Rebekah liable to pay £1.5 million towards Coleen’s legal fees.
Coleen gave a subtle nod to her Wagatha Christie trial against fellow WAG Rebekah as she prepared to enter the jungle, by saying she ‘loves jotting things down’
Just last month, Rebekah was ordered to pay £100,000 of the money she owes.
While Coleen has already told her side of the story for £1 million in a Disney+ documentary last year, ITV bosses will no doubt be hoping for some extra titbits during her jungle stay.
But they may be left disappointed – Coleen says she’s ‘drawn a line under’ the saga.
Coleen gave a subtle nod to her Wagatha Christie trial against fellow WAG Rebekah as she prepared to enter the jungle.
She was asked ‘Aside from your family, who/what else will you miss in camp?’ – to which she answered: ‘Aside from my family and friends, my phone and a pen and notepad. I love jotting things down.’
Previously Coleen has told how she concocted her bombshell Wagatha statement with a pencil, pad and rubber.