Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Quo star’s wild side of life
Rocker Rossi heading Down, Down Under to appear in I’m A Celebrity
BOSSES at I’m A Celebrity are lining up Status Quo frontman Francis Rossi for this year’s camp in Oz. Chiefs reckon the rock legend, 70, would hit the right note with viewers in the same way as last year’s winner, footie manager Harry Redknapp, 72.
A show source said: “Francis would be the perfect successor to Harry. They are both Londoners with the gift of the gab and a wealth of brilliant anecdotes to tell.
“Francis has worked alongside all the greats and would win over a new generation of fans by appearing in the jungle.”
Producers at the ITV show have been impressed by Francis’s performances on his sold-out I Talk Too Much spoken word tour, promoting his autobiography.
In September, Status Quo – whose hits include Down Down and Wild Side of Life – will release their first album since guitarist Rick Parfitt, 68, died in 2016. Parfitt was to appear in 2004’s I’m A Celebrity but refused to go on after producers said he could not appear while taking prescribed sleeping pills Rohypnol.
In his autobiography, Rossi said: “Rick would have been the perfect campmate. Funny, lovable, much more famous than most of them and completely game for any trials. He’d have probably won it.”