Having been a vegetarian for 30 years, Deni Hines had just one non-negotiable before she agreed to enter the jungle for the 2026 series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Australia.
“I told the producers that I cannot and will not eat meat – no way,” the singer tells New Idea. “So I think I will become known as the bug b—h!”
Deni says her mental and physical strengths will work to her advantage in camp.
“I’ve also done yoga for years, I’m not afraid of heights or confined spaces – I actually want to jump out of a plane – and I’m used to being on the road touring, so I can handle sleeping in strange places,” she explains.
“I think I’m strong enough to become Queen of the Jungle. A 55-year-old woman with dreadlocks needs to win!”
A determined Deni adds, “I also hate the word ‘celebrity’. I’m not a celebrity. I have a talent, so there is absolutely no way you’ll ever hear me say the words ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here!’ I’m too stubborn.”
Deni told her husband, Daniel and mum Marcia that she was going into the jungle prior to leaving her home in Bangkok, where she lives, and flying to South Africa.
“Mum was like, ‘you’re going where and doing what?!’ She couldn’t believe it!” Deni recalls.
“She was also like, ‘OK, so long as they send me back my child!’ She won’t be turning up in camp, but I know she’ll be cheering me on.”
In addition to raising funds for the Monika’s DoggieRescue charity, Deni, who has three Pomeranians, says she hopes to make at least “one or two really great friends” on the show.
“I want to look back on this wild experience and say to them, in 20 years, ‘remember when we did that crazy show? What on earth were we thinking?’” she adds.
I’m A Celebrity kicked off on January 18 and saw a whole new batch of Australian celebrities head into the South African jungle to be put through their paces.
Robert Irwin and Julia Morris are back again as hosts, and it’s gearing up to be as gruesome a series as ever.
However, there has been one major change, as the 2026 series has actually been prerecorded, with the stars already back in their comfortable Aussie homes.
According to TV Blackbox, the live format was scrapped to lower costs, and New Idea understands that filming wrapped on December 23.
Rather than voting for every trial, it is understood that this year, a rankings system will determine who makes it through, with viewers then deciding who is crowned the winner from the final three.
New Idea understands that three alternate endings have already been recorded, and just one will air depending on the public vote.
“It’s clever,” a source told us.
“The cast still feels the pressure, the audience still gets their vote, and production gets the flexibility of a pre-recorded season.”
