I’m A Celebrity bosses were reportedly keen to have controversial footballer Joey Barton in the jungle this year.
Producers were willing to shell out to have the former England midfielder – who has been convicted of assault in the past – as a campmate, according to The Sun.
The tabloid said the football bad boy was offered a record £500,000 to appear on this year’s show – double the sum boxer Amir Khan is believed to have been paid.
They were keen to have Joey on the show as he’s known for his outspoken opinions and quick temper and would have been available to travel down under as he’s currently serving an 18-month ban from football on betting charges.
A source told The Sun: “Joey would be I’m A Celebrity gold. He isn’t afraid to speak his mind and very rarely walks away from a row.
“He would’ve been brilliant and producers have tried to get him before. With him serving a ban, they thought they’d tempt him with a massive offer. It’s more than they’ve ever offered anyone before.”
However the huge sum still wasn’t enough to tempt the Premier League star who has played for Manchester City, Newcastle and Burnley during his sporting career.
He wanted £1m to take part in I’m A Celebrity according to the source.
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The insider said Joey, 35, who once caused another footballer to have a detached retina after attacking him in a training ground altercation, was being chased by the show in case they couldn’t secure Amir’s appearance.
“They thought Amir might not happen so had saved a bit of the budget for him,” they said.
“They couldn’t have had both of them.”
It has already been revealed that Amir is this year’s top earner, with his fee believed to be £250,000, ten times that of some of his fellow campmates.
So far he has been earning his keep by entertaining the nation in two Bushtucker Trials, one that he quit due to his fear of snakes and another that he completed despite making a huge mistake by dropping a key he needed to proceed with the job.
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He might be back in Bushtucker action again this eve when all the celebs will be involved in some way in the latest trial, while they will also be joined by new campmates Kezia Dugdale and Iain Lee.