The source also predicted that the departure would produce strong television, suggesting footage of their short stay and exit could still appear in the finished series. It has nevertheless created a practical problem for producers, who need celebrity pairs rather than isolated contestants under the programme’s format.
Earlier reporting was less certain about the couple’s involvement. Geo News reported on August 9 that they had signed up and were due to film in September. TVGuide.co.uk said on August 20 that their participation remained unconfirmed. Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly’s official announcement named no contestants at all.
No later public statement from ITV or the couple has settled the matter.
Who could replace the couple?
The report says Love Island 2025 winner Toni Laites and her best friend Marielle were brought into the production as reserve contestants.
Laites, 26, won the dating series with Cach Mercer, sharing its £50,000 prize. Capital reported in June 2026 that Mercer had confirmed their breakup, and he has since been linked with the 2026 series of Strictly Come Dancing.
After her Love Island victory, Laites went on to host the programme’s vodcast. A television source described her as a rising ITV figure and said she accepted the wilderness opportunity because she had followed I’m A Celebrity for years.
The reported substitution offers a useful glimpse at how a large reality production protects itself against sudden withdrawals. Reserve contestants can be kept nearby, ready to join when illness, personal circumstances or an understandable dislike of sleeping outdoors rearranges the schedule.
Neither Laites nor Marielle has been officially announced for the cast.
How will The Wild Frontier work?
The Wild Frontier is a new I’m A Celebrity sister series due to launch in 2027 on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player. Rather than sending individual celebrities into the Australian jungle, the Canadian production places contestants in pairs.
Those duos will:
- compete in trials together
- face eliminations as a pair
- secure food through challenges
- attempt to reach a live final in London
Viewers will ultimately choose the winning pair. A companion programme, I’m A Celebrity… Unpacked, will air on ITV2 and also be released as a vodcast.
Ant McPartlin has described the series as “I’m A Celebrity… like you’ve never seen before,” with “lots of twists and surprises.” Declan Donnelly said it would also preserve familiar features from the long-running Australian format. Television innovation, apparently, still requires hungry famous people.
Other names linked with the cast include Rio Ferdinand and Kate Ferdinand, Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy, and Christopher Dean and Karen Barber. None has been formally confirmed.
What happens to the reported fee and footage?
Before the alleged withdrawal, television and pop culture commentator Nick Ede estimated that Fury and Price could command as much as £100,000 if ITV was especially interested in securing them.
Ede said the couple might not have the individual profile required for the largest six or seven-figure reality television fees, but argued that their connection to Tyson Fury and Paris Fury created considerable public interest. He expected longer-term earnings from sponsorships, social media partnerships and other commercial work to be more valuable than the appearance fee itself.
It remains unclear whether the couple would receive any payment after an early voluntary exit. ITV has not commented on their contract, whether usable footage was filmed or whether appearance fees include provisions for withdrawals.
Those questions matter because the reported exit happened only days into production. If scenes featuring the couple are broadcast, the programme could still benefit from their involvement even though their competitive run was brief.
Does Fury’s age raise duty-of-care questions?
Fury married amateur boxer Price in May 2026 in an elaborate ceremony and has maintained a visible online presence since then. Her age makes the reported casting unusual for a physically demanding wilderness reality series.
The account of the withdrawal does not identify any safeguarding failure. It does, however, leave unanswered questions about the support, risk assessments and exit arrangements required when a 16-year-old joins a production openly promoted as gruelling.
Since the wedding, Fury has shared material from a reported £30,000 Marbella honeymoon paid for by her parents and from the couple’s new home. Her father, boxer Tyson Fury, gave them a static home in Yorkshire, and she later displayed around £1,000 worth of bedding online.
She has also responded publicly to criticism about leaving school at 11 and comments questioning her spelling. That social media visibility, combined with her famous family, helped make the couple attractive to producers looking for immediate audience interest.
A source previously told TVGuide.co.uk that Fury and Price hoped viewers would respond positively to their relationship and that the appearance could lead to further television and brand opportunities. Whether a very short Canadian expedition delivers those opportunities now depends on what ITV filmed, what it chooses to broadcast and whether the reported departure is finally confirmed.
