Who is Andy Whyment? Meet the latest I’m A Celebrity star and Coronation Street actor who plays Kirk

Actor Andy Whyment is entering the jungle as the last arrival to the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! camp.

The ex-Coronation Street star joined the rest of the campmates on Thursday, where he took part in his first Bushtucker Trial of the series.

Thanks to his years on the soap, plenty of TV fans will recognise Andy but his career has also taken him away from t’cobbles. 

As he prepares to don his khakis and chow down on rice and beans, here’s everything you need to know about Andy Whyment…

Who is he?

Born on April 2, 1981, Andy grew up in Clifton, Greater Manchester and attended the Laine Johnson Theatre School in Salford as a youngster.

His first part was in Cracker in 1993 and after a series of bit-part roles across UK television, he appeared as Darren Sinclair-Johnes in BBC’s The Royle Family from 1999 to 2000.

He then got his big break in the long-running soap Coronation Street.

Andy has two children with his wife Nicola, who he married in 2007, and lives in Atherton.

Who does he play in Coronation Street?

Andy has played the hapless factory worker Kirk Sutherland since 2000, a role which earned him a Best Comedy Performance gong at the British Soap Awards in 2003.

The elder brother of Maria Connor, Kirk’s storylines have revolved around his rather good-humoured but dim-witted nature, and has had his fair share of heartbreak with women.

Dumped by Fiz Brown after proposed to her, he finally got his break and married Beth Tinker in 2015. The character has also been rather unlucky with work too, and in 2007 managed to destroy his parents’ business, Sutherland Kennels, after allowing a pedigree dog to be castrated. But after two years in the dole he landed a job as a driver and packer at Underworld, which he’s managed to keep ever since.

What other roles has he played?

As well as his two main roles, Andy has landed a number of smaller parts in shows including The Cops, Heartbeat and Where the Heart Is.

I’m A Celeb won’t be his first foray into reality television either. He previously took part in Soapstar Superstar in 2006 and has appeared on several game shows, including Tipping Point: Lucky Stars, Celebrity Chase and Big Star’s Bigger Star.

He also took part in Dancing on Ice in 2012, finishing in sixth place with his professional partner Vicky Ogden.

What has he said about I’m A Celebrity? 

Andy has already confessed to having “absolutely no survival skills” ahead of his stint on the show.

Fearing that his soap co-stars will vote for him to take part in Bushtucker Trials, he said that he hasn’t gone camping in 20 years before adding: “I am not looking forward to the eating trials and I am a bit worried about what I will find when you put your hand in something.

“But when you are hungry, you have to do it for your campmates and try your best.”