ITV in talks with Ally McCoist over I'm A Celebrity appearance as star finally set for jungle

A football star who's never quite made it into the jungle is reportedly in "advanced talks" with just a few weeks to go until the new series starts. Scottish football legend Ally McCoist is being wooed for I'm a Celebrity..

.Get Me Out of Here , with show bosses "very hopeful" he'll say yes this time around, after the Rangers icon declined their offers in 2019 and 2022. The ex-player and manager, now a pundit and radio host, was close to joining two years ago but pulled out at the eleventh hour, a repeat of what happened three years prior.



Now, insiders are optimistic that Ally, aged 62, will be part of this year's cast when the programme launches next month. A source shared: "Ally has such a huge fan base thanks to his years of commentating and punditry, plus his long stint on A Question of Sport. He'd be great for the jungle - as his wife and kids have been telling him forever - so everyone is really hopeful that this will be the year.

" Should he agree to join, he's expected to be among a line-up rumoured to include former pop sensation Tulisa Contostavlos, dancer Oti Mabuse and Coronation Street's Alan Halsall, reports the Mirror . Explaining why he turned down the opportunity in 2022, the father-of-five revealed his aversion to certain creepy crawlies, stating: "I'm not a fan of cockroaches." At the time, he mentioned that many other challenges wouldn't faze him, saying: "The bit where you jump out of the helicopter or plane at the start - I'd like to do that.

But then the rest is downhill. You don't really know until you're there, but I actually think being in the coffin with the rats and snakes - from where I'm sitting right now - I don't think that would bother me that much." He also shared that his wife Vivian and their two sons are huge fans of the show , and along with his three older kids from his first marriage, they were so disappointed when he declined the offer in 2019 that they stopped speaking to him.

He joked: "The kids aren't talking to me at all. The younger ones would love it and the older ones would love it as well. They are going to school and they are getting it off their pals.

" After fellow football favourite Harry Redknapp won the show in 2018, he added: "My wife is not giving a monkey's about me eating spiders and earwigs, she is just wanting a two stretch in that Versace hotel. It's the biggest thing we watch as a family, it's brilliant entertainment. Harry was fantastic last year.

" He also expressed his admiration for presenters Ant and Dec, describing them as "magic". Sports stars have a good track record on the show, with Ally's former Question of Sport rival Phil Tuffnell winning the 2002 series, in which footballer John Fashanu finished second. Others to end up as King or Queen of the jungle include footballer Jill Scott, motorcycle racer Carl Fogarty and tennis ace Martina Navratilova.

A show spokesman said: "Any names suggested for I'm A Celebrity...

Get Me Out Of Here are just speculation.".