Mike Tindall’s rumoured I’m a Celebrity appearance could earn him up to £150,000 as a ‘national treasure’ who is loved by Britons for his ‘devotion to Zara’ – and the show could help him further his punditry career, expert says

• Mike Tindall, 43, is reported to be entering the jungle next month for ITV show 
• Former rugby star is expected to show viewers the laid-back side of the royals
• Nick Ede says Mike will be paid a top price for his appearance by the network 
• Married Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall, in 2011 after they met in 2003 

Mike Tindall could earn up to as much as £150,000 for an appearance on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of here!, an expert believes.

The former England Rugby star, 43, is the latest name rumoured to be heading to the Aussie outback for the next installment of the ITV show hosted by Ant and Dec.

And even if Mike does end up swallowing something unsavory as part of a Bushtucker trial, popular culture and brand expert Nick Ede believes the show will be a great move for ‘brand Tindall’.  

‘I am sure Mike will have been paid in excess of £150,000 to appear, but the true value of the show is what you do after it,’ he told FEMAIL. 

‘Whether he gets a prime role as a sports pundit or panelist or host of a show who knows but for ‘brand Tindall’ this is a great step and will increase his celebrity equity ten fold. All eyes will be on Mike this year.’

Nick also believes that Mike’s ‘devotion’ to his royal wife Zara, 41, made him popular with Brits, after he married into the Royal Family and became the son-in-law of Princess Anne in 2011.

He added: ‘There may well be two kings in the Royal Family this year – one of the crown and one of the jungle.’

Pop culture and brand expert Nick Ede said Mike and Zara Tindall (pictured in September at the Queen’s funeral) are known for their ‘wicked sense of humour’ and that Mike’s ‘devotion’ to his wife has made him popular with the British public

Nick said an appearance in the show will help him further his punditry and broadcast career (pictured with The Good, The Bad and The Rugby co-hosts James Haskell, top, and Alex Payne, middle)

If Mike does join this year’s I’m a Celeb line up, Nick also said it would help members of the public relate to the royals.

‘[Mike and Zara] are both known for their wicked sense of humour,’ Nick said, adding his rumoured appearance in the programme was ‘a perfect touch of royal appeal for the ITV audience’. 

He continued: ‘It’s a great way of showing that members of the royal family are not stuffy or stuck up and it will allow viewers to feel that members of the royal family are relatable.’

Nick believes royal fans will be eager to catch a glimpse of Zara as she waits at the lavish Versace Hotel on the Gold Coast (where families of campmates stay) for her husband to leave the jungle.

And the expert also reckoned the former rugby pro-turned pundit and podcaster had a good chance of winning the whole competition.

‘The stakes are high this year as it’s back to the jungle and so the big bucks will be paid for key talent.’ 

Mike is a former England Rugby ace and member of the 2003 World Cup winning team. He retired from the sport in 2014 (pictured in the Six Nations, 2014 during England v Italy match at Twickenham Stadium)

He added ITV’s new streaming service, ITV X, will also broadcast the show meaning it will be available to audiences around the world.

Mike has previously been dubbed the Royal Family’s ‘secret weapon’ and the ‘cool, fun uncle’ after impressing fans during the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, where he dutifully accompanied his wife to several events over the four-day weekend. 

The father-of-three entertained an unruly Prince Louis, four, during the Platinum Pageant in June, and appeared in typically jovial spirits throughout the celebrations, where he was on hand to help out with all the royal children.

Mike, his wife, their children, Mia, eight, Lena, four, and Lucas, one, and Princess Anne are often spotted out and about enjoying family days out together whenever keen equestrian Zara is performing in a horse show. 

The former rugby ace and Zara, who were first introduced at the 2003 World Cup, enjoy a ‘normal’ life – at least within royal circles – and live with their daughters and son in relative privacy. 

However, viewers may now get a much closer glimpse into what it’s really like to be part of the Royal Family if Mike dons his khakis and becomes a campmate.

A source told The Sun: ‘He is sure to be discreet, but his sheer presence means this series will be an absolute must-watch… It’s a massive coup. Mike has had a box seat for some of the most important moments in royal history for generations.’ 

After retiring from rugby in 2014, Mike has become a pundit, and now co-hosts podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby with James Haskell and Alex Payne.

He has previously revealed details about the Royal Family on the podcast in funny anecdotes, and recently spoke beautifully about how they had coped following the death of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

He said: ‘It’s been sad, emotional but happy. In some ways amazing. To see the family come so close together overnight.

‘You never predict it. A 96-year-old lady, you know it’s going to happen but you’re never ready for when it does.

‘Watching what Zara had to go through, obviously she loved the Queen beyond everything else. Their connection with horses, they had a real bond around that.

‘It’s like the world has lost its grandmother in some way.’ 

If he does appear in this year’s series of I’m a Celeb, Mike will follow in the footsteps of his fellow podcaster James, who was in the 2019 series. 

During his stay in the camp, James, 37, bonded with fellow campmates Jacqueline Jossa, who went on to win the show, Kate Garraway and Caitlyn Jenner before being booted out by the public following disagreements with comedian Andrew Maxwell.

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