ITV I'm A Celebrity's Ant and Dec make brutal swipe at Coleen Rooney's feud with Rebekah Vardy

Ant and Dec didn't hesitate to poke fun at Coleen Rooney's well-known dispute with Rebekah Vardy as the show commenced.

As this year's I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! began, with Ant and Dec introducing the new contestants, it wasn't long before Dec quipped: "It will be nice for her to face trial that doesn't involve Rebekah Vardy."

This was a clear nod to the widely publicised legal battle between Coleen and fellow WAG Rebekah, which had escalated to a courtroom showdown.

Rebekah, who herself appeared on the ITV show in 2017, attempted to show indifference to the buzz surrounding Coleen's participation just hours before the programme aired. The Liverpool-born celebrity, aged 38, had previously made headlines by accusing Rebekah of selling stories to The Sun through a notorious social media post, reports the Mirror.

Despite Rebekah initiating a high-profile defamation lawsuit, the High Court ruled in July 2022 that Coleen's allegations were "substantially 'true'".

When questioned whether she would be watching Coleen tackle Bushtucker trials on ITV, Rebekah responded to The Sun with: "Absolutely, we'll be watching avidly. Everyone seems to think I have this massive problem with Coleen going into the jungle. But do you know what? If you want to fan the fire, the flames are going to get higher. I wasn't going to carry on talking about this, I had no intention of talking about it, but she clearly can't let it go."

The hit reality show I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! is back for a new season, bringing with it a fresh batch of celebrities ready to tackle the show's notorious challenges. Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are once again at the helm as hosts, broadcasting from the depths of the Australian jungle.

Contestants will face an array of tests, from the infamous Bushtucker Trials to Kiosk Kev's perplexing puzzles, all vying to dethrone 2023's reigning champion, Sam Thompson.

Before the show kicked off, the initial roster of campmates was revealed, including household names such as Coleen Rooney, Danny Jones, and Oti Mabuse. True to the show's format, viewers can expect some unexpected late arrivals to shake things up, with Love Island's Maura Higgins and Reverend Richard Coles rumoured to be entering the fray later in the series.

Ant and Dec shared some "bad news" with their followers before the show's return. Addressing their fans directly via their shared Instagram account, Declan announced: "Hi everybody, Ant and Dec here. But you knew that. We've got a little update for you, because we know lots of you've been asking about Jungle Club this year. We've got some good news and we got some bad news. I'll start with the bad news, shall I?"

Ant and Dec have shared an update about their popular segment, Jungle Club, with fans eagerly awaiting its return. Ant revealed: "Jungle Club will not be going on straight after the main show. Sorry. The good news is it will be going on straight after the new ITV2 show. Yay!"

Dec then chimed in with additional details: "So we are back, but we're a little bit later. Yes, we are. It's Jungle Club: Late and Live. One for all you night owls out there."

The dynamic duo plans to take to Instagram live following the main show, where they'll offer their candid thoughts, recount anecdotes, and provide exclusive behind-the-scenes insights.