Dr Chris Brown and Carrie Bickmore meeting as she prepares to appear on I’m A Celebrity

Is Carrie Bickmore is preparing to enter the South African jungle? 

The Channel 10 star, 42, has been absent from screens since her departure from The Project in October, and is reportedly angling for a ‘seven figure salary’ to compete on the upcoming 2023 season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!

According to New Idea magazine, the 42-year-old has the full support of the show’s co-host Dr. Chris Brown, who is longtime friends with Carrie and her producer ex-husband Chris Walker. 

Bickmore and Brown have apparently been attending secret meetings with Ten bosses since the beginning of the year, with network spies saying producers are willing to pay her ‘up to $1 million’ for the gig. 

‘It’s been about three months of closed-door negotiations at Network 10 and while nothing has been locked in yet, TV executives are willing to wait until the very last minute if they have to,’ an insider told the publication. 

‘They have thrown a lot of money at Carrie to get her on board,’ the insider added. 

Snagging Bickmore for the show would be quite a ratings coup, given the public interest in her shock departure from The Project and recent split from partner Chris Walker.

If Bickmore does secure a $1 million payday, she will become the second highest-paid contestant to appear on the show, behind the late cricket star Shane Warne who earned $2million for his jungle stint in 2016. 

Brown has been a source of support for the former couple in recent months. 

Last year, the celebrity veterinarian shared a heartfelt farewell post for Bickmore after she quit The Project. 

He was also photographed spending time with a downcast Walker in Byron Bay shortly after Bickmore confirmed the couple’s split in January. 

I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! will premiere on Sunday, April 2, with co-hosts Brown and Julia Morris at the helm. 

The show will be Brown’s last gig at Ten before he moves to rival Seven.