'Overwhelmed' I’m A Celebrity 2026 star Ade Adepitan says ‘no words’ can sum up making jungle history
He's the first ever wheelchair user in camp and it has been adapted this year for his needsI’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! is making history this year, with Ade Adepitan set to become the first wheelchair user to take part in the show.
Producers have adapted the camp so the Paralympian and TV presenter can move around easily alongside his 2026 campmates when the new series starts on Monday, November 16.
And the 53-year-old has admitted he feels “slightly overwhelmed” to be the first.
‘It’s never been done before’
Ade, who won bronze with the men’s wheelchair basketball team at the 2004 Paralympics, said no words could really sum up how it feels.
“Words like ‘honour’ and ‘privilege’ are ones I feel, but I don’t think they sum it up enough,” he said. “For me, this is a moment in time. Even if I go out in the first week, I will always be remembered as the person in a wheelchair. I am slightly overwhelmed.”
He added: “It’s never been done before, and it never crossed my mind I would be the first! It’s the biggest show on TV and this is a huge opportunity. This is the sort of thing you dream about as a kid. If someone spoke to my eight-year-old self, he wouldn’t believe it.”
What winning would mean
A long-time disability campaigner, Ade says being crowned King of the Jungle would mean more than a personal win.
“It would be a real affirmation that society had accepted someone like me,” he explained. “To win it would mean that you are liked and accepted by a huge part of society.”
Myleene Klass gave him advice
Ade has spoken to former campmates before heading out, including Myleene Klass, who told him she loved it.
McFly’s Dougie Poynter, who won the show in 2011, has also always told him he’d be good at it. But Ade revealed: “I haven’t told him yet I am actually going to be in the camp!”
The fun side of Ade viewers haven’t seen yet
Ade is best known for his documentaries, and says he’s looking forward to showing a different side of himself.
“People think I am serious, because I make documentaries,” he said. “I actually love having a laugh.”
He added: “I grew up in the 90s’ rave generation and I used to be in fields with thousands of people going absolutely nuts to music!”
He’s refusing to reveal his fears, though, in case viewers use them against him. “I’m not telling anybody what I’m scared of, because then they will heap it on me!”
Why does Ade Adepitan use a wheelchair?
Ade was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1973 and contracted polio when he was 15 months old. It affected his legs and left him unable to walk.
When he was three, he and his mum moved to the UK to join his dad in Newham, east London, where he grew up.
Ade Adepitan’s Paralympic career
Ade went on to play wheelchair basketball for Great Britain.
He won a silver medal at the 2002 World Championship and bronze at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. He was made an MBE in 2005 for services to disability sport.
Read more: I’m A Celebrity 2026: what each of the campmates fear most
From BBC One to Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage
Ade first became a familiar face on TV in 2002, as one of the wheelchair basketball players in the BBC One “Hip Hop” ident that ran between programmes.
He went on to present CBBC’s Xchange and had acting roles in Casualty and EastEnders. In 2012, he was one of the main presenters of Channel 4’s London Paralympics coverage, and he has fronted the channel’s Paralympics coverage several times since.
He has also co-presented Children in Need, and is a regular presenter on the BBC’s The Travel Show.
Ade Adepitan’s documentaries
Ade is now best known for his travel and current affairs documentaries. They include Africa with Ade Adepitan on BBC Two in 2019, Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline in 2021, and Channel 4’s Whites Only: Ade’s Extremist Adventure in 2024.
He also co-presented BBC Two’s World’s Busiest Cities with Anita Rani and Dan Snow, and in 2025 he took the plunge on ITV’s Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters, diving with sharks in the Bahamas alongside Sir Lenny Henry, Ross Noble and Dougie Poynter.
In 2024, he became Chancellor of Birmingham City University, taking over from Sir Lenny Henry.
Who is Ade Adepitan’s wife?
Ade is married to Linda Harrison, a musician 17 years his junior who performs as Elle Exxe. The couple married at St Paul’s Cathedral in 2018.
They have a young family and Ade says the hardest part of the jungle will be not being able to speak to them.
“When you’re away normally, you can make calls to people,” he said. “It’s going to be weird not being in contact with anybody and it will be as if the world has stood still.”
Read more: I’m A Celebrity 2026: How to vote – the official app explained
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! starts Monday, November 16 at 9pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX & STV Player.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI technology to synthesise source reporting and structured data. It has been reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by our human editorial team before publication.
