Revealed: The stars taking part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! for 2021
I’m A Celebrity has announced its famous contestants for this year’s series, with stars from the worlds of pop music, international football and soap among the 2021 group.
The ITV show will head back to Gwrych Castle for a second season after uncertainty surrounding international travel meant producers could not be sure they could return to the Australian jungle.
Ant and Dec are back as hosts once again, taking the new set of celebs through their paces in the Welsh castle – take a look at the 2021 line-up below.
Dame Arlene Phillips
Dame Arlene became a household name in the UK when she joined Strictly Come Dancing’s first series as a judge in 2004.
She later left in 2008 and went on to work on shows such as Britannia High and So You Think You Can Dance?
She is also a prolific theatre choreographer and director, and has been part of shows such as We Will Rock You, Starlight Express and Saturday Night Fever.
At 78, she is I’m A Celebrity’s oldest-ever contestant – but says that isn’t going to hold her back.
Danny Miller
Miller has played Aaron Dingle in Emmerdale since 2008.
He has been part of some key storylines in the soap, including themes of child sexual assault, car crashes and heists.
Miller has also appeared in Grange Hill, Scott & Bailey and Cruel Summer.
David Ginola
There aren’t many sporting fans in the world who don’t know who David Ginola is – a French footballing legend who had stints at teams including Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, Spurs, Aston Villa and Everton.
Since then, he’s become a regular on the BBC, BT Sport and CNN, as well as the French version of Strictly Come Dancing.
He has also worked as a model and an actor.
Frankie Bridge
Bridge was part of noughties girl band The Saturdays for seven years, with hits including Up, Ego and Higher.
Before that she was a member of S Club Juniors, a spin-off of S Club 7.
After her music career, the singer went on to marry footballer Wayne Bridge, a former contestant himself, and has presented TV shows and spoken openly about mental health.
Kadeena Cox MBE
A decorated British Paralympian, Cox has medals for both sprinting and cycling at the game – including gold.
Suffering from multiple sclerosis, she has broken world records on the track and represented the UK at two games.
Away from the track and the velodrome, she won this year’s series of Celebrity Masterchef.
Louise Minchin
Journalist and presenter Minchin has recently departed the BBC Breakfast sofa after 20 years on the flagship show.
She has had a long career at the BBC, which has also included projects such as Sunday Life, The One Show and Olympics coverage.
Minchin says she hopes her stint in the castle will show her fun side after being known as a “serious news presenter”.
Matty Lee
Diver Lee took home the gold medal with Tom Daley in the 10 metres synchronised event at the Tokyo Olympics earlier in 2021.
The 23-year-old says taking part in I’m A Celebrity ticks off another life goal.
“Nothing ever prepares you for what life will be like after you do well in the Olympics,” he says. “I was and still am mainly in shock that I am doing I’m A Celebrity. 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!”
Naughty Boy
A DJ, songwriter and producer, Naughty Boy has worked with some of the biggest names in pop, including Beyonce and Sam Smith.
The star, whose real name is Shahid Khan, thinks his background working with artists will stand him in good stead when he enters the camp.
“I would love to see more musicians go into the castle this series, Sir Elton John would be incredible,” he says. “We (musicians) are more equipped than people think as we spend such a lot of time in the studio.”
Richard Madeley
As one half of Richard and Judy, there are not many light entertainment jobs that Madeley has not been involved with.
He hosted This Morning with his wife Judy Finnigan between 1988 and 2001 before moving to their own show, Richard and Judy on Channel 4. The pair have hosted quiz shows and chat shows, appeared on comedy panel shows and even been contestants on reality shows.
Madeley says I’m A Celebrity… has “become part of the fabric of British life and part of the countdown to Christmas”, which is why he wanted to take part.
Snoochie Shy
BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ Snoochie Shy landed her late-night slot on the station two years ago.
Colleague and fellow DJ Jordan North was a runner-up on I’m A Celebrity… last year, so she is following in his footsteps.
The 29-year-old says she is looking forward to her listeners finding out more about her.
“I am actually quite a shy person when I am outside my comfort zone,” she says. “I think my shy side might come out and I might be quite shy in the first couple of days but I also will definitely be a team player.”
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! begins on ITV and ITV Hub on 21 November
US musician and rock producer Steve Albini, who has worked with acts including Nirvana, PJ Harvey and Pixies, has died aged 61.
The “punk legend” recorded Nirvana’s third and final studio album In Utero, released in 1993, as well as Pixies’ debut studio album Surfer Rosa, which came out in 1988, and PJ Harvey’s second studio album Rid Of Me, in 1993.
Pixies were one of late Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain’s favourite bands.
Albini also recorded and mixed the 1998 record Walking Into Clarksdale, the only album by surviving Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.
(L-R) Nirvana’s Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic in August 1991. Pic: AP
He also performed in his own bands including Big Black and his most recent project, Shellac.
Shellac had just finished recording a new album, To All Trains, due for release next week, and the group were set to tour the record prior to Albini’s death, according to the music website Pitchfork.
In 1997, he opened his famed Electric Audio recording studio in Chicago.
He told The Guardian last year: “The recording part is the part that matters to me – that I’m making a document that records a piece of our culture, the life’s work of the musicians that are hiring me.
“I take that part very seriously. I want the music to outlive all of us.”
Brian Fox, an engineer at the studio, said Albini died following a heart attack on Tuesday night.
Speaking in 2018, Albini said he had worked on more than 2,000 albums, mostly for underground or indie bands.
Among the tributes, Pixies posted a photo of him on X, with the caption RIP Steve Albini.
The Lord Of The Rings star Elijah Wood wrote: “Ugh man, a heartbreaking loss of a legend. Love to his family and innumerable colleagues. Farewell, Steve Albini.”
Rough Trade, a retail chain of record shops in the UK and US, wrote on X: “Musician, studio engineer and the mastermind behind some of rock’s greatest albums. A hero to us all. Thank you for setting the standard so high. RIP Steve Albini. Deeply missed, forever loved.”
Born on 22 July 1962 in Pasadena, California, he grew up in Montana and went to Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he studied journalism.
He became a fixture on the Chicago punk rock scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when he began performing with various bands and engineering albums.
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Albini remained a prominent figure in the Chicago music scene after his time at Northwestern, owning and operating Electrical Audio.
Pitchfork reported he did not take royalties from records he worked on, and he kept his day rates for artists comparatively low, especially as a producer with his pedigree.
He also became well-known for his commentary on the state of the music industry in the age of streaming.
Albini is survived by his filmmaker wife Heather Whinna.
Legislation dubbed the “Taylor Swift bill” has passed in Minnesota in an effort to help people buy concert tickets.
The bill, officially called House File 1989 in reference to Taylor Swift’s hit album and the year she was born, was signed into Minnesota law on Tuesday.
It will require sellers offering tickets to people in the state or tickets for concerts being held there to disclose all fees up front and prohibit resellers from selling more than one copy of a ticket, among other measures.
Minnesota State Representative Kelly Moller, chief author of the bill, pushed for the legislation after she tried to get tickets to one of Swift’s concerts in 2022.
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Ms Moller said she was among thousands of people who became stuck in ticket sales company Ticketmaster’s system after it crashed amid the huge demand for Swift concert tickets and attacks from bots, which tried to buy tickets for resale at inflated prices.
The situation led to congressional hearings but no federal legislation.
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Governor Tim Walz, who signed the bill into law at First Avenue, a popular concert venue in downtown Minneapolis, said it was “protection so you don’t get a bad ticket, a fraudulent ticket, and resellers can’t snatch them all up before you get an opportunity”.
Two young girls – one wearing a shirt that said “A LOT going on at the moment” in a nod to Swift, and another wearing a shirt that said “Iowa 22” in reference to basketball star Caitlin Clark – attended the bill signing with their dad, Mike Dean, who testified in support of it.
An eras tour ticket. Pic: Fernando Gens/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
Mr Dean said his daughter came to him in December and said she wanted to see Clark play. He said the website initially showed the tickets would cost $300 total, but they ended up costing over $500 because of hidden fees.
The timer had begun in the online checkout process, so he had just minutes to decide whether to buy the tickets for the higher price or lose them.
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He ultimately bought them, but he told the Associated Press these practices mean customers can’t make informed decisions. The new law, he said, will bring transparency to the process.
Sky News contacted Ticketmaster for comment.
A spokesperson for fellow ticket sales giants StubHub said: “StubHub has long advocated for legislation that protects fans from anti-competitive and anti-consumer practices in the ticket buying process.
“We share the goals of HF1989 and look forward to continuing discussions with policymakers to advance policies that provide more transparency, more control, and more choice for ticket buyers.”
The law takes effect from 1 January 2025 and applies to tickets sold on or after that date.
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