Matt Hancock has given £10,000 to charity after his appearance on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here, it's been reported. The figure is less than 5% of his £320,000 fee for appearing on the reality TV programme in 2022.
The ex-health secretary, who resigned in disgrace after breaking Covid-19 rules, was still a sitting MP for West Suffolk when he went to Australia for the ITV programme. The basic annual salary of a Member Of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons is £84,144, as of April 2022.
As well as saying that his intention was to raise awareness of dyslexia, Mr Hancock implied before joining the programme his motivation for becoming a reality TV star, alongside the likes of Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner and Chris Moyle,s was not financial before entering the star-studded camp as a late arrival, reports MirrorOnline.
"I thought long and hard about this — in fact I turned down I’m A Celebrity . . . twice this summer, but when they approached me for a third time last week, I had a change of heart," he wrote on November 1. And no, it wasn’t the cheque that changed my mind.
"I will be making a donation to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and causes supporting dyslexia off the back of my appearance," he added in the piece for The Sun. I will, of course, also declare the amount I receive from the show to Parliament to ensure complete transparency, as normal."
Documents published by the Houses of Commons state that Mr Hancock received an eye-watering amount from Lifted Entertainment, ITV, with the fee being registered on January 11, 2023. Following Mr Hancock declaring the £320,000 fee, The Mirror can now reveal how much of the pay cheque has been donated to charitable and good causes so far.
A spokesperson for Mr Hancock told the Mirror: "As well as raising the profile of his dyslexia campaign in front of 11 million viewers, Matt's donated £10,000 to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and the British Dyslexia Association, off the back of his appearance on 'I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here'."
The Mirror has asked if Mr Hancock is planning to make any further donations but the politician's spokesperson is yet to respond.
When quizzed about how much of Mr Hancock's appearance fee will donated last year (November 27, 2022), the MP's team told the Mirror: "We'll be speaking to the charities once Matt is back. By going on the show, Matt has raised the profile of his dyslexia campaign and used the platform to get the nation talking about an issue he really cares about in front of millions of people. Matt is determined that no child should leave primary school not knowing if they have dyslexia.
"Matt will be making a donation to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and causes supporting dyslexia - including the British Dyslexia Association, off the back of his appearance."
When pushed on if Mr Hancock plans to donate all his fee to charity, representatives stated again how "the donations will be worked out on Matt's return" and claimed both St Nicholas Hospice and the British Dyslexia Association "are very happy with that arrangement".
Chivonne Preston, Chief Executive Officer of the British Dyslexia Association, recently issued a statement which reads: "We are grateful when public figures like Matt use their platforms to draw attention to the barriers and challenges that the dyslexia community faces. Dyslexia is misunderstood and despite being incredibly common is often hidden; many people in our community feel like their struggles are unseen. We welcome opportunities to shine a light on dyslexia and inspire people to seek help and support."
Mr Hancock reached the final of I'm a Celebrity in December - finishing third behind soap star Owen Warner and Queen of the Jungle Jill Scott. Upon returning home to England, the MP for West Suffolk – who lost the Conservative whip after he agreed to appear on the ITV series - went on to announce that he will not be standing for re-election as an MP in the next general election.
