An Essex boy, a con-artist, a boy band bassist and a former Olympian... meet this year's I'm A Celebrity contestants

By Georgina Littlejohn

Last updated at 6:47 PM on 9th November 2011

Every series of the jungle-based reality TV show has thrown together a very eclectic bunch of celebrities from the quiet to the crazy, the wacky and colourful.

And this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here line-up is proving no different with a mixture of famous faces headed into the Australian rainforest this coming Sunday.

They range from reality TV star Mark Wright, to former Olympian javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread, to comedian Freddie Starr, the dynamic within the jungle camp will certainly prove interesting.

Jungle bound: TOWIE star Mark Wright and The Real Hustle actress Jessica Jane Clement will be leading the younger stars in the new series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here

MARK WRIGHT

Age: 24
Famous for: The Only Way is Essex
Love life: Dating co-star Sam Faiers after breaking off engagement to Lauren Goodger
Jungle phobias: Won't say
Missing anything while in the jungle? Recording Christmas charity single with his TOWIE castmates
Looking forward to: Using the jungle as a gym to maintain his six-pack
Pearls of wisdom: 'This will be one of the longest times I have been away from Essex.'
Bookies odds: 11/2

JESSICA JANE CLEMENT

Age: 26

Famous for: Starring on The Real Hustle

Love life: Engaged to hairdresser Lee Stafford

Jungle phobias: Spiders

Missing anything while in the jungle? Her engagement party had to be postponed

Looking forward to: Stripping down to her bikini in the lake

Pearls of wisdom: 'Male attention? I can deal with it. I am going to go in with my Bobby Dazzler of an engagement ring.'
Bookies odds: 6/1

Eye candy: Mark Wright and Jessica Jane Clement will undoubtedly be showing off plenty of flesh during their stint in the jungle

Leading the younger stars - and leaving his Home County comforts far behind - is Wright, 24, who jetted off to Australia as soon as the third series of The Only Way Is Essex finished filming last week.

And he said he was really excited about signing up for the show and added: 'It’s a great new challenge for me and I hope people will see me other than just the guy off TOWIE.'

Joining him will be McFly star Dougie Poynter, 23, and the boy band bassist said he jumped at the chance to appear, especially with his band mate Harry Judd dancing up a storm on Strictly Come Dancing at the moment.

'We have got a gap in our diaries at the moment and I thought it would be a lot of fun.'

Hats off to them! McFly bassist Dougie Poynter and former champion jockey Willie Carson will braving the jungle elements and the creepy-crawly

DOUGIE POYNTER

Age: 23

Famous for: Bassist in boyband McFly

Love life: It's complicated - he is seeing someone

Jungle phobias: 'I can't talk about it, it's weird.'

Missing anything while in the jungle? His birthday

Looking forward to: Sleeping under the stars

Pearls of wisdom: 'We have got a gap in our diaries at the moment and I thought it would be a lot of fun. Tom has done The Cube, Danny did Popstar to Opera and Harry’s currently on Strictly, so I thought it was my turn.'
Bookies odds: 4/1

WILLIE CARSON

Age: 68

Famous for: Champion jockey

Love life: Married

Jungle phobias: Heights

Missing anything while in the jungle? A number of social occasions

Looking forward to: Being the 'practical one' and perhaps losing some weight

Pearls of wisdom: 'The grandchildren are massive fans. The street cred is going to get lifted when they find out I am doing this! I know they will be excited. '
Bookies odds: 20/1

Giddy up: Dougie is looking to be the brooding one on the jungle, while Willie just wants his grandchildren to think he is cool

Also joining the under-30s - and bringing a bit of glamour to proceedings - is former Playboy model and The Real Hustle actress Jessica Jane Clement, 26, who has just got engaged to celebrity hairdresser Lee Stafford.
She said: 'I kept having nightmares about spiders as I have a phobia about them, but just before I flew out to Australia, I got really excited. It’s going to be such an amazing experience and I really want to prove to myself I can do it.'
Slightly older but still very much in the younger end of the camp is Coronation Street star Antony Cotton, 36, who plays Sean Tully, revealed he underwent hypnotherapy to help conquer his fears ahead of entering the show.
He said: 'I have a morbid fear of flying, I don't like heights and I am claustrophobic.'

Northern lads: Coronation Street star Antony Cotton will be overcoming his phobias while Liverpudlian comedian Freddie Starr shrugged off his recent heart attack to brave the rainforest camp

ANTONY COTTON

Age: 36

Famous for: Coronation Street, Queer as Folk

Love life: 'I never discuss my private life'

Jungle phobias: Flying, Heights, and Claustrophobia

Missing anything while in the jungle? Filming Katherine Kelly’s final scene in Corrie and her leaving do

Looking forward to: Facing his fears and making new friends

Pearls of wisdom: 'I have had hypnotherapy and I have also been to therapy to face my fears. I did have moments where I wondered why on earth I had said yes!'
Bookies odds: 4/1

FREDDIE STARR

Age: 68

Famous for: Comedian, and the news headline 'Freddie Starr ate my hamster'

Love life: Engaged

Jungle phobias: Putting his hand into a box or hole and not knowing what is in there

Missing anything while in the jungle? No occasions but will miss fianceé Sophie

Looking forward to: Rasiing his profile ahead of a tour next year

Pearls of wisdom: 'I would like some banter in the camp,” he says. “I don’t mind playing a few tricks either. It would be nice to have a laugh.'
Bookies odds: 9/1

Butting heads: Antony Cotton is fiercely protective of his private life, while Freddie Starr admits he wants to raise his profile

Show bosses have also opted for an older profile for the series this year, with four of the contestants in their 60s who hope to give their younger counterparts a run for their money, including former champion jockey Willie Carson.

He celebrates his 69th birthday this week and said he had signed up for the jungle challenge for the thrill of it.

He said: 'I have nothing to sell nor a career to re-resurrect. When I get back from the jungle, I will put my feet up and I shouldn't think I will do anything or try to do anything else.'

He will be joined by comedian Freddie Starr, 68, who had surgery following a heart attack a few months ago but shrugged it off and said: 'It will be fine.'

Tough girls: Former Olympian javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread and Benidorm star Crissy Rock will be camping down among the stars

FATIMA WHITBREAD

Age: 50

Famous for: Javelin world champion and olympian

Love life: Single mother

Jungle phobias: Jumping out of a plane

Missing anything while in the jungle? Her best friend's birthday

Looking forward to: Having a go at the trials

Pearls of wisdom: 'I haven’t got a game plan for the Jungle but I am competitive,” she confesses. “I don’t expect to win but if I come out unscathed, then I will be happy.'
Bookies odds: 16/1

CHRISSY ROCK

Age: 53

Famous for: Benidorm

Love life: Single

Jungle phobias: Bungee jumping

Missing anything while in the jungle? Nothing other than Bingo

Looking forward to: The experience - 'Just getting in is like winning an Oscar!'

Pearls of wisdom: 'I would like to be the entertainer in the camp. I am a bubbly person who laughs a lot and I will probably get on people’s nerves!'
Bookies odds: 18/1

Different tactics: Fatima says her competitive streak will come out, while Chrissy simply cant' believe her luck at being asked to go in the jungle, and says 'anything else is a bonus!'

But he admitted that his motivation for taking part in the show was simply to return to the spotlight and said: 'I am not going to lie. I am doing this to raise my profile. I want to get my profile up and anyone who says anything different is lying.'

Olympic silver medal-winning javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread, 50, said she was more worried about leaving her 13-year-old son behind.

She said: 'I have never left him for longer than 24 hours and whilst I don’t think I will break down in front of the cameras, I am sure I will put my head under the bed covers at night and there will be a few tears. I will deal with it though. It is not forever.'

Providing some glamour in a more mature form will be former Campari girl Lorraine Chase, 60, who said she was going into the jungle to 'get braver'.

A touch of glamour: Former model Lorraine Chase and American actress Stephanie Powers have also joined the line-up

LORRAINE CHASE

Age: 60

Famous for: Emmerdale

Love life: Single

Jungle phobias: Spiders and snakes

Missing anything while in the jungle? No

Looking forward to: Being part of a team and pushing herself in the trials

Pearls of wisdom: 'I am a funny fossil. I do think I irritate people. The one wish I have is to not make other people’s time difficult by me being irritating.'
Bookies odds: 16/1

STEPHANIE POWERS

Age: 69

Famous for: American series Hart to Hart

Love life: 'Attached'

Jungle phobias: None

Missing anything while in the jungle? No

Looking forward to: Proving there is life after cancer - she recently beat lung cancer

Pearls of wisdom: 'I want to show others who are going through, or will go through what I have, that you can resume an active life.'
Bookies odds: 20/1

Glamour: The actresses are ditching their make-up and gowns for jungle khakis

She said: 'I have always wanted to learn how to ride a motorbike and go backpacking, but the treadmill of life has meant that I just haven't organised it myself.'

American actress Stephanie Powers, 69, who is best known for her TV series Hart To Hart alongside Robert Wagner, has suffered some health problems after being treated for lung cancer.

But she said: 'This is a wonderful opportunity to show there is life after cancer - and the benefits of good detection early on.'

And Benidorm star Crissy Rock, 53, said she was looking forward to shedding some pounds, and added: 'I can’t wait to lose weight. I might come out as a size 12. I don’t mind at all. It is the best diet eve.'

The show, hosted once again by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, returns on Sunday on ITV at 10.30pm with the contestants all heading into the Australian jungle to face an array of bugs and challenges over the next three weeks.

They're back! Ant and Dec will be once again presenting the show which is now in its 11th series

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