The reason why I’m a Celeb stars have to wear red socks
It's that time of year again! I'm A Celebrity is back, and as the celebs prepare to swap comforts for camp life, face stomach-churning Bushtucker Trials and take on whatever the jungle throws our way, there's one burning question on everyone's lips... and it's one viewers will be asking all over again!
The contestants will all be donning the khaki but there's one other specific thing they'll all be made to wear, and that's red socks - yes, specifically red ones.
It has nothing to do with the general aesthetic of the show; the reason behind the bold sartorial choice is actually quite gross.
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According to a show insider, the red socks are not for uniform purposes, but actually due to all the critters in the Australian jungle.
Speaking to Woman's Own a few years ago, former camp medic Bob McCarron – who was on the show for many years – revealed the socks were actually used to cover up blood splatters to the cameras from the varied blood sucking critics living in the jungle.
Essentially, producers don't want celebs to look battered and bruised while in the jungle, so the red socks make sense.
This year there'll be another group of household names wearing the infamous red socks in the jungle, including Ricky Wilson, Claire Sweeney, and AJ Odudu.
Ex-England captain and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and Love Island 2021 finalist Chloe Burrows were already spotted arriving at Brisbane Airport ahead of the show.
The chosen celebrities revealed their fears, phobias and fellow celebrities they would add to their dream teams. Former Manchester United and England striker Rooney follows his wife, Coleen into the show after she finished in 2024 as a runner-up.
Wayne revealed his biggest fear is, “Jumping out of a helicopter is my biggest fear, because I’ve been booked to jump out of a plane three times before and never made it on the plane!
“I don’t like snakes or what is in the water either – I don’t go in the sea.”
Love Island 2021 finalist and radio presenter, Chloe said her role in the camp would be to keep the spirits of her campmates high: “Morale booster rather than a chef. I don’t want to kill anyone with my food! I am there to have a laugh.
“I hope people can lean on me and I want to be there if someone is feeling down.”
Broadcaster and Paralympian basketball star Ade Adepitan will be the first to make use of a wheelchair while on camp, which has been adapted this year for access, says ITV.
Perhaps wisely, he insists he will not reveal his phobias at this early stage: “I’m not telling anybody what I’m scared of, because then they will heap it on me!
“But how many people do you know who love snakes or eating dodgy pigs’ testicles?!”
And Big Brother co-host AJ Odudu was keen for viewers to get to know her in a more candid setting so they could learn she was not “always upbeat and happy”.
She said: “Even I have moments where I fancy crying a little. I’m just a normal person with normal emotions.”
I'm a Celeb returns to ITV this Sunday, 16 November.
Topics: TV And Film, Im A Celebrity, Fashion
Greg Harris
