ITV bosses have defended their booking of disgraced MP Matt Hancock for I'm A Celebrity - by insisting it is his final decision to take part.
The TV channel has come in for some criticism over the controversial booking as it was made when Mr Hancock was a serving Tory MP.
Since news broke that he has signed up to go into the jungle, he has been suspended from the Conservative party and there has been a public outcry.
Told ITV had been criticised back home in the UK, Executive producer Olly Nash put any blame on Hancock and said: "It's always an individual's choice to come into camp, isn't it?
"And at any point, any celebrity can say I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. So that's the only thing really to add. I think.
"Nobody has to do the show in the same way and nobody has to stay in camp and nobody has to do a trial. So it's up to any celebrity to make that choice."
Former Health Secretary Mr Hancock explained his decision by saying the TV show is a "powerful tool" to reach young people.
Hancock added: "Rather than looking down on reality TV, we should see it for what it is — a powerful tool to get our message heard by younger generations. In fact, I think it's patronising to hear some say reality TV is beneath a politician.
"It's as clear as day that politicians like me must go to where the people are — particularly those who are politically disengaged. We must wake up and embrace popular culture."
In the past other MPs including former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries and Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale.
Asked what it means to have a politician on I'm A Celebrity, show boss Olly added: "It's always good to get a good cast in an ensemble cast.
"That's really the basis of putting everybody together. We cast everybody from all sorts of walks of life and always have done. We have had politicians going back for many, many years.
"You never know when they sort of get here what they're going to do. And how it's going to work out."
One Tory colleague, MP Tim Loughton, described Hancock as an "absolute prat" and he has faced calls from opposition critics to give up his £84,144 a year MP's salary while he is in the jungle.
In a statement, his local West Suffolk Conservative Association said it was "disappointed" and accused Mr Hancock of a "serious error of judgement".
