Who is Sharky? I'm A Celebrity 2026 star's age, real name and sweet admission about missing his mum
YouTube reveals the Bushtucker Trial he's dreading and why he nearly said no to the ITV showI’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! newcomer Sharky has admitted he asked his family and friends before saying yes to the jungle, because he worried viewers might not know who he is.
The YouTuber is one-fifth of Beta Squad, whose channel has 12.1 million subscribers, and he’s the show’s big signing for younger viewers after Angry Ginge was crowned King of the Jungle last year.
“I’ve always wanted to do this show but when I was asked, I did go to my family and friends first to see what they thought,” he said. “I am full-on on YouTube, but this show is so big and some people may not have heard of me (because they don’t watch Beta Squad). But they told me they thought it would suit me and so I said ‘yes’.”
What is Sharky’s real name?
Sharky’s real name is Sharmarke Mohamud.
He started out on YouTube in 2015 with football and FIFA videos, before moving into comedy, pranks and challenges.
How old is Sharky?
Sharky is 30. He was born on December 31, 1995, so he’ll turn 31 on New Year’s Eve.
Read more: I’m A Celebrity 2026 confirmed line-up: the big rumoured name missing
Where is Sharky from?
Sharky was born in Utrecht in the Netherlands, to Somali parents, and moved to London as a young child. He grew up in north London.
He says moving around helped make him the person he is. “I went to seven different schools and so I’d like to think I am good at mixing with different people,” he said.
The Beta Squad lowdown
Beta Squad is a YouTube group made up of Sharky, Chunkz, Niko Omilana, AJ Shabeel and King Kenny. They formed in 2019 and are known for challenges, pranks and big-budget group videos.
Sharky says he’s looking forward to people getting to know him on his own. “There are five of us in the Beta Squad, all with different personalities, and it will be great for people to get to know me as an individual,” he said.
And he’s expecting the rest of the group to rally their fans if he’s voted into the trials. “They will be leading the charge online,” he said. “They are all really excited for me to go on this show.”
Read more: How to vote on I’m A Celebrity 2026 and pick who faces the trials
He’s a football-mad Arsenal fan
Away from Beta Squad, Sharky hosts the Sharky Does Sports podcast and manages SDS FC in the Baller League. His team won the first Baller League UK title in June 2025, beating MVPs United 4-2 in the final at the O2.
“It means everything… I always believed,” he said after the win.
He’s also an Arsenal fan, and his dream campmate is a former Gunner. “I’m an Arsenal fan, so any ex-player would be great or an ex-England player,” he said. “I’d love to hear their stories and what goes on behind the scenes.”
That could make for an interesting camp, with former England captain Wayne Rooney also in the line-up.
Sharky’s biggest fear
Sharky’s only phobia is tight spaces. “The only phobia I’ve got is having to crawl through tight spaces or caves to get to the next part of the challenge,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of challenges on YouTube, which has prepared me for something like this!”
The eating trials could be another story, though. “Whenever I do eating challenges on YouTube, I am always throwing up or gagging!” he admitted. “There’s a whole compilation of me throwing up on YouTube!”
Read more: I’m A Celebrity 2026: Each campmate’s biggest phobia
‘Big boots to follow’
Sharky says he doesn’t feel pressure to match last year’s winner, Angry Ginge.
“It is big boots to follow,” he said. “But Ginge is a great guy and he was made for something like this. I am not surprised he won, but I don’t feel any pressure. I want to do my own thing and be myself.”
He added that winning would be “the best achievement of my life”.
“I grew up watching terrestrial TV,” he explained. “I’m from the age group where TV was still the main thing in the household. And even though I’ve managed to carve out a good career online, I’d love to see what I could do on television afterwards.”
He’ll miss his mum’s cooking
Sharky says he’ll miss his mum, who he used to watch the show with. “We used to watch this together,” he said. “And I will miss her a lot. But she is also excited too.”
He’ll miss her cooking as well, along with “technology, not knowing the football scores and a cheeky Nando’s”!
And his campmates have been warned: he snores. “I am a bit embarrassed by that!” he said.
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.
