Australian singer and songwriter Deni Hines has been thrust back into the spotlight once again on the latest season of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!
For those who aren’t aware, Deni is the daughter of powerhouse singer and judge on Australian Idol, Marcia Hines.
When Marcia arrived in Australia in 1970, she was pregnant with Deni. However, she wasn’t aware and didn’t find out until six months later.
“I remember calling Mum and saying ‘I’m pregnant’,” Marcia shared in an interview with The Weekly in 2019. “She said, ‘Yes, I know, I could tell by your pictures that you sent home. I was just waiting for you to tell me.’”
Because Marcia was on tour and busy, a nanny cared for Deni during her early years. When preparing for the tour, Marcia took Deni back to Jamaica, where Deni stayed with her grandmother Esme and the extended Hines family for two and a half years.
Then in 1975, Esme joined Marcia and Deni back in Australia, and they lived together. Marcia reflected: “Deni had two parents; her gran and me.”
What is Deni Hines known for?
Following in her mother’s footsteps, Deni originally toured with INXS and Kylie Minogue early in her career. She then joined the music band The Rockmelons in 1991. Their cover of Bill Wither’s ‘Ain’t No Shunshine’ and ‘That Word (L.O.V.E.) mgranted the band household name status, and they became certified Gold.
However, in the first episode of this season of I’m A Celebrity, she shared that she wasn’t a fan of the song and stopped fellow contestant Nath Valvo from singing it to her!
After Rockmelons, Deni embarked on a solo career and released her debut album, Imagination. Her first single from the album, ‘It’s Alright‘ earned a platinum award and an Aria Award in 1996 for Breakthrough Artist.
Is Deni feuding with her mother, Marcia Hines?
In recent years, rumours were swirling that Deni and her mother, Marcia, had fallen out. However, in January 2026, Marcia posted a photo of the two of them while she was visiting her daughter in Thailand.
Furthermore, Deni shared in an exclusive interview with Woman’s Day that her mother was “excited” for her to go on I’m A Celebrity.
“She’s like, ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this. What are you doing!’ And then I was like, I’m talking to all my ancestors in my sleep going, ‘Listen, I’m coming to Africa!’”
Is Deni Hines married?
Yes! Deni has been married to Daniel Moses since 2012. 10 years later, in an interview with Woman’s Day, she shared how they keep the romance going:
“He cracks me up,” she said. “You know you’ve met the right person when you don’t even realise it’s been 10 years.”
The couple currently live in Thailand and has no plans to move back to Australia.
Before Daniel, Deni was married to INXS bandmember Kirk Pengilly. They married in 1992 and split 18 months later. After Kirk, she moved to the UK and met record producer Dennis Charles, to whom she was married for three years.
Deni and Daniel have no children, but they do have three pups!
How will Deni fare on I’m A Celebrity?
This isn’t Deni’s first time on reality TV. She’s participated in Dancing with the Stars, The Masked Singer Australia and Celebrity Apprentice.
In an exclusive interview with New Idea, Deni revealed that her secret weapon in the jungle is an easy one: She doesn’t eat meat. Deni has been a vegetarian for 30 years, but is willing to eat bugs.
“I told the producers that I cannot and will not eat meat – no way,” she shared in her interview. “So I think I will become known as the bug b—h!”
She also provided that in the first eating challenge of the season. Smashing crickets like they were popcorn. Read more here.
Also, she isn’t afraid of much and is physically fit.
“I’ve also done yoga for years, I’m not afraid of heights or confined spaces – I actually want to jump out of a plane – and I’m used to being on the road touring, so I can handle sleeping in strange places,” she said.
However, from the previews the show is posting, it appears that relationships within the celebrity camp could be her downfall. Check out the video below
