I’m no monkey, Roy Keane tells jungle show recruiters

He might eat journalists for breakfast, but a diet of cockroaches and kangaroo testicles is definitely not on the menu for Roy Keane — he’s revealed he rejected an offer to star in I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.

Keane, assistant manager of Ireland and Aston Villa, held an unlikely meeting with the producers of I’m a Celebrity... who attempted to land the Corkman for an appearance on the show.

Keane disclosed details of the meeting in an interview with Shortlist magazine, who asked him about doing more work in the public eye away from football.

“Well, I couldn’t see it, but I am more open to stuff now,” he said. “I’ve had the Celebrity Big Brother offers and the jungle stuff [I’m A Celebrity…].

“I met the jungle people, but I thought: ‘Nah, not for me.’ But the more you say no, the more determined they are to get you, so who knows? There’s more to life than football.”

When asked if the public have the wrong impression of him, Keane said he is more light-hearted than many think: “It’s like I’m supposed to act up to the public,” he said. “Bottom line: My personality doesn’t suit being in the public eye. I’m not some monkey who can get up and act and do a show. People want you to behave in a certain way, and I’m like: ‘Nah, not today.’ And if I don’t want to smile, I’m not going to. So, people go: ‘Ah, he’s a miserable bastard,’ ”

Meanwhile, despite it receiving rave reviews and being a favourite for Oscar glory, David Fincher’s Gone Girl was wasted on Keane.

The movie, detailing the disappearance of Amy Dunne, failed to impress the assistant manager.

Keane said he found it difficult to sit through the Ben Affleck drama.

“Rubbish. Absolute rubbish,” he said. “I went with a couple of lads from the Irish team, but if I was on my own, honestly, I would’ve walked out.”