Nigel Farage “will do very well” as a contestant on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here because of his “chutzpah,” Nadine Dorries has said.
Former culture secretary Ms Dorries, 66, appeared on the ITV show in 2012, and was the first sitting MP to take part.
She was suspended by the Conservative Party for her appearance and was readmitted in May 2013.
Former Ukip leader and GB News presenter Farage is among the new crop of celebrities announced for the upcoming series of I’m A Celebrity and will be going into the jungle alongside stars including Britney Spears’ sister, the actress Jamie Lynn Spears, This Morning presenter Josie Gibson and JLS singer Marvin Humes.
Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Ms Dorries was asked if Farage would come out of the jungle “more popular”.
She said: “I think Nigel will do very very well. He’s got the chutzpah, he’s got the personality. I think he’ll do very well in I’m a Celebrity.”
Discussing what it did for her own career, she said: “It gave me immense power actually because Ukip were doing very well at the time. And I remember there was absolute panic in my party at how well Ukip were doing.
“History repeats itself, doesn’t it, because Reform is beginning to do very well now.
“George Osborne removed my whip, because George Osborne and David Cameron together can be quite an act and they removed my whip, and suddenly wanted to get it back to me because they were suddenly scared that I might jump into Ukip.”
Ms Dorries speculated that Farage could be appearing on I’m A Celebrity to provide a boost to the small Reform party, previously known as the Brexit Party.
She said: “I think his power base is Reform. And I think that’s probably what he’s doing this for, to give Reform a boost, who, by the way, are doing very well at the moment.”
Ms Dorries was the first contestant voted off the programme during her stint on I’m A Celebrity after she spent 12 days in the jungle.
I’m A Celebrity begins on ITV on November 19 at 9pm.
