Matt Hancock has reportedly left his girlfriend to fly home to the UK while he stays in Australia to cash in on his I'm A Celeb stint. Gina Coladangelo was spotted at the airport with Queen of the Jungle Jill Scott and her fiancée Shelly Unitt as they headed for a flight.
But the West Suffolk MP has remained in Oz so he can carry out a big-money interview, the Mirror has reported. It comes as questions remain as to when he plans to return to his work as an MP and his team not confirming whether he will donate all of his fee to charity or not.
A source told the Mirror: "Matt was due to go home on Tuesday afternoon Australian time with lots of the other contestants and Gina. But he left her to fly home alone so he could make more money with a big interview. Gina was lucky winner Jill and Shelly took her under their wing and they stayed with her in the queue."
Mr Hancock, 44, came third on I'm A Celebrity on Sunday night and couldn't keep his hands off girlfriend Gina once he returned to the JW Marriott Hotel on the Gold Coast. The pair then wore white and enjoyed a drinks reception at the hotel before joining the other contestants for a three-hour dinner party at La Luna restaurant at the Marina Mirage.
Asked when he would be returning to work, Mr Hancock declined to answer and simply smiled and held Gina's hand as they headed back to their room. Writing about his decision to do the show days before he entered the Jungle, Mr Hancock claimed: "As soon as my time in camp is up, I will return to Suffolk to hold a surgery where I will catch up with my constituents and discuss matters of concern."
However he left camp around 8am on Monday morning in Australia and will not fly home until late on Tuesday. He has been out of contact by phone or email for three weeks, but still felt he had time to devote Monday to relaxing.
The moment Matt Hancock was reunited with his girlfriend, Gina, after leaving the jungle
Mr Hancock's stint in the jungle was been slammed by millions across the country due to multiple reasons, including the fact he is still a sitting MP - receiving a £84,144 salary - his behaviour in government, his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and questions surrounding contracts issued to private companies during his time as Health Secretary.
Before leaving his constituents in West Suffolk to appear on the ITV reality TV show, Mr Hancock explained his reasons for heading Down Under - claiming he would be "making a donation" to charity of the back of his jungle stint. On Sunday night, Mr Hancock's office was unable to confirm if all of the politician's fee for appearing on I'm a Celebrity would be donated to charity.
Representatives for Mr Hancock confirmed to the Mirror that "the donations will be worked out on Matt's return" and explained how they are in contact with both the British Dyslexia Association and St Nicholas Hospice, who they claim are "very happy with that arrangement".
But when asked multiple times if Mr Hancock planned to donate the entirety of his I'm A Celebrity appearance fee, rumoured to be around £400,000, the Mirror received no confirmation regarding exactly how much the MP intended to donate to good causes.
