Paralympian Ade Adepitan is rumoured to be joining the latest series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.
The TV presenter and athlete, 53, would be the first contestant to use a wheelchair on the long-running ITV reality show.
The hit series, hosted by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, sees stars sent to live in an Australian jungle where they take on Bushtucker trials in the hope of winning food for camp, as well as the public vote.
Adepitan, who rose to fame with Team GB’s wheelchair basketball team, has made headlines amid rumours he is heading down under this winter to compete in the show.
A spokesperson from ITV said: “Any names suggested for I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here are just speculation.”
The Nigerian-born presenter contracted polio as an infant which caused damage to his left leg, requiring him to use a wheelchair.
Adepitan carved out a successful career as a basketball player in the 2000s, winning a Paralympic bronze medal and a Paralympic World Cup gold medal.
He is also an advocate for disability rights and is a patron for charities such as Go Kids Go and WheelPower – which provide support for those using wheelchairs.
He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2005 for services to disability sport.
Adepitan later began to appear on British TV as an actor and presenter, featuring in BBC programmes such as EastEnders and Casualty, along with hosting sports coverage for events such as the Paralympic Games.
He has also used TV to campaign against racism and for disability awareness, having hosted Channel 4 documentaries The Talk, and Whites Only: Ade’s Extremist Adventure, which explore these issues.
Adepitan would be following in the footsteps of fellow Paralympians such as Hollie Arnold, who appeared on I’m A Celebrity in 2020, and Kadeena Cox who was on the show in 2021.
He is rumoured to be appearing on the upcoming series along with stars such as Olympian Sir Christopher Dean.
The former ice skater, who is one half of gold medal-winning duo Torvill and Dean, has been subject to recent speculation, along with former Strictly Come Dancing professional Nadiya Bychkova.
Former Love Island star Olivia Attwood, who was due to appear on the show in 2022 but left one day in due to medical reasons, has also been subject to rumours as well as Mis-Teeq singer Su-Elise Nash.
