Ian Wright on I'm A Celebrity
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Ian Wright’s I’m A Celebrity pay check ‘will help pay off his £2m tax debt’

Former footballer is working hard to pay off his debt…

It’s been claimed that I’m A Celebrity star Ian Wright is planning on using his jungle pay check to pay off his “whopping £2m tax debt”.

Ian is picking up a reported £400k for his stint down under, with reports suggesting that he will use the money to pay off part of his tax bill.

Back in 2016, Ian wrote in his autobiography that he was at the “mercy” of HMRC and owed £2m in tax.

Reports suggest Ian signed up for the show to pay off his tax bill (Credit: ITV)

In the book, he blamed a “wave of financial advisers” in the 1990s for landing a “whole generation of footballers” in trouble over tax.

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“The only serious clouds in those skies is the income tax issues that have been with me for a while now,” he wrote.

I am one of the lucky ones because at least I can work to try and pay it off, which I am doing.

He admitted he would be paying the bill “for a long time”.

Choosing not to declare himself bankrupt, Ian insisted on working hard to pay off the debt instead.

Ian Wright
The former footballer is reportedly being paid £400k for his time in the jungle (Credit: ITV)

He said: “I am one of the lucky ones because at least I can work to try and pay it off, which I am doing. But there are many big-name footballers of my age out there who can’t.”

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Now The Mirror reports that he “might have headed into the jungle for one thing – enough cash to pay off his £2m bill”.

If that is why he’s signed up, then Ian isn’t alone.

Ian Wright on I'm A Celebrity
The star is said to have a £2m tax bill to pay (Credit: ITV)

New campmate Cliff Parisi admitted he initially turned the show down – before his accountant showed him his tax bill.

“What is the worse case scenario? A big snake is gonna bite you or the taxman is gonna bite you?” Which do you want?” Cliff said.

He joined the show last night alongside Corrie’s Andy Whyment.

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor