Where are Maura Higgins and Rev. Richard Coles in I'm A Celebrity? Absence from line-up explained

The latest series of has begun but two contestants are nowhere to be seen!

legendand former contestant Reverend Richard Coles were thought to be heading Down Under to join the star-studded line-up, with after he pulled out of the show at the last-minute.

But as the likes of , Danny Jones from McFly and GK Barry got acquainted with each other during tonight's opening show, Maura and Richard where nowhere to be seen despite it being all but officially confirmed that they are set for a stint camping under the stars in .

As the launch show began at 9pm,as she enjoyed a influencer trip with Space NK. So what is happening and when will viewers get to see Maura and Richard meet their famous campmates and take on a Bushtucker trial or two.

It turns out Maura is just sneakily throwing fans off the scent and is arriving in camp at a later date, alongside Richard - similar to when and popped up a few days after the launch show aired back in 2022. "She will be arriving this week. The brand trip was always part of the schedule as Maura had agreed to it and it fit into her arrival dates for the jungle," a source told the MailOnline this weekend.

Last year, late entrants Tony Bellew and jockey made waves, with Tony reaching the final despite joining the camp later in the game. Being one of the later additions to the lineup may give Maura an edge in the fight for the title of Queen of the Jungle; she's currently pegged at 7/1 to win.

Not only that, Maura has some famous friends backing her to go all the way. Former Love Island sensation Amy Hart, who shared the villa with Maura during the 2019 series of the ITV2 dating show, thinks her former roomie has what it takes to win over the nation over the coming weeks.

Amy, 31, believes her Irish peer has the perfect mix of qualities to triumph in the Australian wilderness. Speaking exclusively to the , Amy revealed: "I'm really excited to see her [Maura] go in there. She's gonna be so great. I think she'll probably win. Yeah. People love her, don't they? And she's just so funny. And I think she'll throw herself into it. She doesn't do things by half. I think she'll throw herself into it, and people will love that."

On top of her support for Maura, Amy also reiterated her own desire to join in on the reality TV action, regardless of her recent nuptials and baby joy. After previously expressing her willingness to partake, she's undeterred by her new life changes, maintaining a keenness on tackling new challenges: "I would love to do anything that's a new experience, something that you wouldn't get anywhere else. So I think , Strictly, obviously, MasterChef, Celebrity . I'm a big lover of reality TV. And obviously I'm not eligible for Love Island All Stars."

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