The odds of Boris Johnson appearing on the next series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! have been slashed by one betting firm. The recently-resigned Prime Minister is now 10/1 – having previously been 33/1 – to follow in his father Stanley Johnson's footsteps by starring in the long-running reality show's next series.
A former Member of the European Parliament, Mr Johnson senior was the oldest contestant to have gone into the Aussie jungle when he took part in I'm A Celeb's 17th series back in late 2017. And the likelihood of his son, the former incumbent of Number 10 Downing Street, also turning up Down Under soon has increased since he was succeeded by Liz Truss earlier this week.
It certainly casts new light on some of the remarks Mr Johnson made regarding his immediate future during his leaving speech on Tuesday. Some fans have even wondered if there'd been a cryptic reference to some upcoming involvement with the popular ITV show – particularly Johnson's description of himself as a "booster rocket that has fulfilled its function" and would be "splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the Pacific".
READ MORE: I'm A Celebrity spin-off show 'could be held at Gwrych Castle'
Sarah Kinsella – a spokesperson for BoyleSports, the bookies that made the call – said anything was possible. "Jungle fans are backing Boris to head Down Under with the former Prime Minister cut to 10/1 from 33/1 following his departure from Downing Street," she added.
"You never know with Boris or indeed any politician. It certainly wouldn’t shock us if he swapped the rough and tumble of PMQs for a bushtucker trial."
In March bosses at ITV confirmed that the long-running show would be returning to Australia for its latest run. The foliage-filled telly favourite has been forced to relocate to Wales for last two years because of the pandemic.
But, with Covid restrictions lifting around the world it's finally set to return to Oz from its temporary home at Gwrych Castle, near Abergele. The new series is expected to air this November and generate an audience of more than 11m.
Other big names also being mooted to appear in the next instalment are former two-time heavyweight boxing champ Tyson Fury (10/1), EastEnders star Danny Dyer (2/1), footballer-turned-TV pundit Peter Crouch (2/1), and Olympic diving champ Tom Daley (1/1).
Read next:
Gogglebox fans overwhelmed as Dave and Shirley share 'best news
- I'm A Celebrity line-up rumours as EastEnders legend tipped to join
Ant and Dec say 'we don't want to go elsewhere' as they confirm I'm A Celebrity location
- When is Big Brother UK back? Start date, channel, presenter latest and applications
- When and where is winter Love Island? Fans don't have long to wait for series 9
