Matt Hancock has reportedly failed to land a celebrity agent as he looks to capitalise on coming third on I’m A Celebrity.
The former health secretary, who lost the Tory whip on entering the jungle, has been consulting with famous friends on who should represent him in his bid to become a celebrity, The Mirror reported.
But the search has now been called off amid a slump in sales of his pandemic diaries where he details overseeing the UK’s response to the Covid pandemic, which claimed 210,000 lives.
Friends said that Hancock had been inspired by Ed Balls’ success after appearing on Strictly Come Dancing and would look to host documentaries on subjects including dyslexia and assisted dying.
Hancock’s pulling power looks on the wane as his Pandemic Diaries: The Inside Story of Britain’s Battle Against Covid fell out of the Neilsen book charts top 1,000.
Released in time for Christmas, official sales figures show it sold 3,304 copies in the first week and a lowly 600 in the second.
A spokesman for Mr Hancock last night told The Mirror: “Matt has had lots of offers from agents wanting to represent him, but he’s turned them all down as he doesn’t want or need an agent.”
It came as Boy George claimed Mr Hancock only joined I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! because he wanted to build his profile and “be a rock star”.
The West Suffolk MP and former health secretary had insisted that his constituents were his “first priority” when entering the jungle, claiming the reality TV show would be an “honest and unfiltered” way to communicate with voters.
However Karma Chameleon singer George, who initially clashed with the former health secretary on the show, said in an interview with The Sun on Sunday: “Don’t believe anything he says about why he did it.
“He did it because he wants to kick up his heels and have a good time.
“We all know that politicians are real people. We also know everyone wants to be a rock star, everybody. Especially politicians.”
