Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson jokes he's swapping touring for a huge I'm A Celebrity payday - and reveals the TV legend who finally convinced him to sign up

He’s turned down I’m A Celebrity numerous times over the years – but Ricky Wilson has finally decided this is the year to take on the jungle.

And the Kaiser Chiefs frontman has hinted that a big payday may have helped sway his decision, joking that he can turn on his showbiz charm 'for a bit of cash'.

As he prepares to swap life on tour for a stint in the Australian jungle, Ricky has also revealed that I'm A Celebrity's first-ever winner, Tony Blackburn, played a part in convincing him to finally say yes.

However, his bandmates aren't quite so pleased about his long stint away. 

The singer, 48, admitted his decision to sign up to the ITV show means putting the group's music commitments on hold for a month, confessing that while his bandmates have become more accepting of his television ventures, they're not exactly celebrating his absence.

Recalling his stint on The Voice, he admitted the group weren't initially convinced by his decision to appear on the show. 

‘They've changed their mind a lot about me doing things since I did The Voice,' he said.

'No one really wanted me to do that, but I really thought it would be good for us – and it worked. It was really good, it was really positive for the band. It gave us another lease of life, so they kind of trust me to do things, and nowadays they're happy for me to do it.’

While the group now trusts his judgement, they're not quite so thrilled about putting their music commitments on hold. ‘They're not so happy that I'm not doing band stuff because that's what we do for a living and it's what makes everyone the money. But we can put it on hold for a month,’ he said.

Ricky also admitted he enjoys the showbiz side of television, joking that he can turn on the entertainment factor when there's some extra cash involved. ‘Every once in a while, I can turn it on for a bit of cash,’ he quipped. 

As part of Kaiser Chiefs, Ricky has sold more than eight million records worldwide.

The Leeds band are best known for their hits Ruby and I Predict a Riot.

Their eight studio albums have all gone Top 10, and two - Yours Truly, Angry Mob in 2007, and Education, Education, Education & War in 2014 - made it to No1.

Ricky will join Wayne Rooney, Chloe Burrows, Joanna Page, Sharky, AJ Odudu, Mariella Frostrup, Leomie Anderson, Claire Sweeney, and Jack Skipper in the I’m A Celebrity camp this year.

And the hitmaker said it was Tony who finally convinced him to do the show.

‘The day before, the day I flew actually, I got a really nice message from Tony Blackburn, who I'm friends with. And he's been trying to get me to go in for years.   

'I think he's the main reason I've gone in really because I like him a lot and I trust him and he thinks I'll do rather well so the last person I would disappoint is Tony Blackburn because he was the first king of the jungle was just very nice and told me to be myself.'

He added that he may already be friends with another celebrity heading into camp. ‘I mean I've been offered it year after year after year but I don't know what it was about this year. There was a friend of mine that'll remain nameless and we were spurring each other on to do it. I don't know if they're doing it or not!'

After touching down at Brisbane Airport, it seemed Ricky was already missing having his bandmates by his side.   

Asked what the Kaiser Chiefs boys thought about his decision to take on the gruelling jungle challenge, Ricky joked: ‘I thought I was meeting them here! I don’t do anything without them. I’m useless without them.’ 

He also confessed he has never been camping, despite years spent performing at huge festivals including Glastonbury – meaning his first taste of outdoor living could be a particularly steep learning curve.