Matt Hancock addressed his affair with Gina Coladangelo for the first time on I'm A Celebrity last night, saying he had been through "tough times" since his romance made front page news.
The dalliance, which was exposed after he was caught on CCTV canoodling with his aide at the Department of Health HQ during the pandemic, ended his marriage and cost him his job as Health Secretary.
But the MP, 44, faced fury from fans as he used the excuse of "falling in love" to explain why he broke the strict Covid rules the government had imposed.
Speaking about the aftermath, Hancock admitted he "messed up and fessed up" to his wife of 15 years Martha and the public.
But Babatúndé Aleshe couldn't resist poking fun about him "grabbing booty" in the steamy clinch.
The comedian asked Hancock, who won an impressive 11 stars in the Tentacles of Terror trial, how he had been doing.
Hancock said: "It's obviously been really tough. I messed up and I fessed up. I resigned it's no excuse but I fell in love, right?
"That also had a lot of other consequences as well".
To which Babatúndé said: "You didn't just fall in love, you were grabbing booty."
Hancock said: "Oh, give over. You are a comedian. It's been hard but I obviously brought it on myself. It's been tough."
The MP, who has three children with his ex wife, went on to say Coladangelo, 45, plans to meet him over the bridge after being asked by the comedian if they were still together.
He added: "'With Gina? Yeah very much so, yeah, totally. That'll be the best thing about being kicked out, seeing her on the bridge."
Viewers took to Twitter in their droves to comment on Hancock's grovelling excuse.
Dan Walker wrote: "I’ve thought about this overnight and it’s clear that a lot of people are finding it very difficult to watch Matt Hancock on #ImACeleb If he really wants to show viewers the human side of politicians, maybe he could leave the show & donate his £400,000 to the NHS."
Another wrote: "Not excusing Seann Walsh by any means but he’s far more apologetic and sincere than Matt Hancock who had a full blown affair with his pa and broke his own laws risking the lives of thousands".
A third viewer chimed: "Tried to tune in to I'm A Celebrity again, but I just can't bear to watch it. Seeing Hancock try to justify his lockdown affair made me feel sick, so I had to turn off."
The affair was exposed after Hancock was caught on CCTV canoodling with Gina, with it believed that the images were leaked by an insider at the Department of Health on May 6, 2021.
At the time, both Hancock and Coladangelo were married with children and indoor meetings between people from different households or bubbles were banned, unless they were "reasonably necessary" for work.
Following the scandal, the former Health Secretary faced immense pressure to resign and in his letter of resignation, he told then-prime minister Boris Johnson that he had let the public down.
He said: "I owe it to the people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down."
It follows the drama surrounding Hancock’s arrival on the ITV show, which led to predictions of a mass walkout by fans.
On Wednesday, Boy George confessed he was considering leaving the jungle, with one campmate doing her best to stop him.
