Matt Hancock could be disqualified from Bushtucker Trials on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! after it has been reported the former Health Secretary is battling a secret health condition.
Mr Hancock – who arrived in Brisbane ahead of the show's launch on Sunday – has faced criticism over the decision to join the 2022 line-up for the show.
The West Suffolk MP defended his decision to appear on the ITV reality show in Australia, saying it is a ‘powerful tool’ to reach young people after he was suspended as a Conservative MP.
Bookmakers are already predicting Mr Hancock will make history as the campmate nominated for the most trials, with Ladbrokes tipping him at 1/2 to break I’m A Celebrity records.
However, it has now been reported that viewers may be unable to vote for Mr Hancock to do the resilience tests as he is said to have developed trench foot while filming Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins.
A source told The Sun : “When he was filming SAS Who Dares Wins in October, Matt got trench foot – in fact, a lot of the cast did.
“It can take up to six months to recover from that, so any water-based tasks or swimming trials would be bad news for his feet.”
The condition is caused by prolonged exposure to the wet and can take up to six months to clear symptoms.
This comes after the independent MP’s colleague Isabel Oakeshott opened up about the behind the scenes decision-making process after Mr Hancock touched down in Brisbane ahead of the show launch this weekend.
Appearing on the Wednesday instalment of This Morning, host Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby quizzed Oakeshott, who worked with Mr Hancock on his book.
She said the decision was ‘very last minute’ but noted she did discuss it with Mr Hancock before it was made known to the public yesterday.
She said: “He did ask me what I thought and whether I thought it was a good idea. Obviously I presented the pros and cons.
“Before I knew it, he had disappeared off to Australia. So I think this was a pretty last minute decision. Although, he has said publicly he’s twice turned it down before.”
She continued: “I think Matt does feel that he wants people to see a different side of his personality.
“We’re used to seeing him day in and day out throughout the pandemic; he was the one in those Downing Street press conferences.”
The Mirror has contacted ITV for comment.
