Matt Hancock has been voted leader of the I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! campsite - and says it "more than makes up for" his failed Tory leadership bid three years ago. The former health secretary was in the running to replace Theresa May in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership contest in 2019 but later withdrew and backed Boris Johnson.
But the West Suffolk MP wasn't to be denied in the I'm A Celebrity jungle, as he took control of the ITV reality show's campsite on Sunday night's episode (Nov 13). Matt had received enough votes from the public to go head-to-head with former England rugby star Mike Tindall in a challenge for the leadership.
He recruited Loose Women presenter Charlene White as a teammate - despite previously clashing over his breaking of Covid-19 guidance during the pandemic - as they triumphed in the challenge involving working together to switch on a series of lights. Ahead of the task, Mike - who is married to King Charles' niece Zara Tindall - joked: "If I went home and I’d lost to Matt Hancock, I’d be in so much s***."
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Matt then told Charlene: "We are definitely the underdogs" before she replied: "Did you go into the leadership challenge thinking you were the underdog?" After their victory, Hancock declared: "Obviously, it’s a great honour and privilege to be camp leader. I want to thank everybody who voted for me."
Charlene then asked: "Does this win feel sweet, especially after you lost to Boris? Do you feel like you have been vindicated?" Matt replied: "This more than makes up for it."
However, their win prompted Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver, who would have been Mike’s deputy, to comment: "We now have a dictatorship…" Matt and Charlene were then charged with assigning chores to their campmates while remaining exempt and also got the chance to sleep inside the RV – an upgrade from the campsite.
Matt was voted to become leader of the campsite after facing his fifth consecutive trial, House of Horrors, in which he was forced to face his fear of snakes. For the challenge, he had to crawl through a giant doll’s house full of pigeons, snakes and troughs full of offal in search for stars needed to feed the camp.
When asked by co-host Declan Donnelly why he thought the public kept voting for him to take part in the gruelling trials, Matt said: "It must be the facial expressions." The MP, who has been suspended from the Tory party for appearing on the show, faced his fear of snakes to find nine out of 11 stars - despite a snake attempting to strike him at eye level.
Upon his triumphant return to camp, he admitted: “I was absolutely s****ing myself." I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! continues on ITV every night at 9pm.
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