Coronation Street's Alan Halsall confirms soap future as he addresses 'tip' from co-stars over I'm A Celebrity 2024
by Jessica Sansome · Manchester Evening NewsCoronation Street star Alan Halsall has confirmed whether he'll return to the cobbles as he swaps Weatherfield for the jungle on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
The actor, who is famed for playing Tyrone Dobbs in the ITV soap, was rumoured to be heading Down Under for the reality series, fronted by Ant McPartlin and Dec Donnelly, after reportedly having to pull out of the 2023 series as he had to undergo surgery on an ACL injury.
He was then seen touching down at Brisbane Airport over the weekend. Sporting a black t-shirt and cap, as well as a Remembrance Day poppy, Alan looked cheery despite recently disembarking the long-haul flight, after he's been seen spending a lot of time with his beloved daughter, Sienna-Rae
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Now, Alan has been confirmed in I'm A Celeb' 2024 line-up alongside the likes of WAG and TV personality Coleen Rooney, Dancing on Ice judge Oti Mabuse, McFly star Danny Jones and BBC Radio 1 DJ Melvin Odoom.
While the stars have already been making their way to Australia, the 2024 run of the hit ITV reality show will be premiering on Sunday, November 17, at 9pm, with a 105-minute special before airing every night - except on a Saturday - until December 8 when the final is expected to take place.
It means that Corrie fans may be seeing less of Tyrone in scenes set to air towards the end of the year and into 2025 as he takes a break from his role, which often sees him filming up to six weeks in advance.
(Image: PA)
On his soap future, Alan confirmed: "Corrie has been fantastic with it all and I am definitely not leaving the soap. You just won’t see my character for a while on-screen."
But he can't wait for the new adventure that awaits him. "It feels like the worst kept secret ever!" Alan said. "It was a bit of a shock when I got the knee injury last year and whilst I am signed off surgically, I still had several months of physio ahead of me. But a top football professional like Rodri, for example, would take about a year to get back to playing football (after something like I’ve had) and he has the best medical staff in the world. So for your average Joe like me it is going to take longer."
The 42-year-old said that one of the big reasons for saying ‘yes’ is down to the fact some of his colleagues loved their experience on the show. Alan shared: "I am very close to Andy Whyment and Jenni McAlpine, who have both done it before, and everyone tells me they had such a great experience. It’s a life experience and I am sure I will learn some new things about myself along the way too."
But he laughed when asked if they have given him any great tips, revealing: "I don’t think you can give a great deal of advice about something like this. I have been watching this every year it has been on, so I know what to expect!"