Los Angeles  - The US governor ousted from office after allegedly trying to sell the Senate seat vacated when Barack Obama was elected president has been cast in a popular reality TV show, according to the Hollywood Reporter Wednesday.

Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who pleaded not guilty Tuesday to racketeering and fraud charges, is hoping to take part in the NBC summer reality series, I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

However since he is facing trial he needs court approval to take part because the show will be shot in Costa Rica and he is not allowed to leave the United States.

The series, which is adapted from a British show of the same name, dumps 10 well known personalities in the jungle and makes them face challenges that test their survival skills.

The series is set to premiere on June 1 and run for four nights a week for a month. Some reports say that Blagojevich could earn as much as 80,000 dollars per episode, a sum that could help him pay what are bound to be formidable legal fees. (dpa)