[Denver]

I’M A Celebrity bosses offered football bad boy Joey Barton a record £500,000 to appear on this year’s show.

But Barton, who is serving an 18-month ban from football on betting charges, said he would only enter the jungle for £1million.

A source said of Barton, now a TalkSPORT radio host: “Joey would be I’m A Celebrity gold. He isn’t afraid to speak his mind and very rarely walks away from a row.

“He would’ve been brilliant and producers have tried to get him before.

“But with him serving a ban, they thought they’d tempt him with a massive offer. It’s more than they’ve ever offered anyone before.

“They thought Amir might not happen so had saved a bit of the budget for him.

"They couldn’t have had both of them.”

Barton, 35, was known for his short fuse on the pitch — getting sent off six times in his career.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbi...elebrity-2017/