Matt Hancock has arrived in Australia ahead of his appearance on I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, but he didn’t go in on day one with the initial batch of 10 stars.
The former health secretary is taking part in the current series of the ITV reality show as a “bombshell” contestant, with his arrival coming after the original line-up of contestants have settled into jungle life.
Hancock entered the jungle on Tuesday 8 November. His debut was teased by co-hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly during Tuesday night’s show, while his arrival will be shown in full in tonight’s episode (9 November). A preview also showed him being covered in maggots during a challenge.
His decision to join the show has been met with widespread criticism, with the MP immediately having the Tory whip revoked and prime minister Rishi Sunak sharing his disapproval.
I’m a Celebrity’s season one winner Tony Blackburn joked that Hancock was probably appearing on the show to pay for “the soaring cost of his electricity bill”, while adding that it was clear his “political career at the moment isn’t going any further”.
Radio DJ Nick Grimshaw and last year’s winner Danny Miller both predicted the public will vote for Hancock to do most of the grisly Bushtucker Trials.
Hancock resigned as health secretary last year after violating his own Covid regulations by having an affair with aide Gina Coladangelo. The pair were caught embracing on camera.
During a recent episode of Good Morning Britain, Susanna Reid was forced to apologise after Daily Mail journalist Andrew Pierce called Hancock a “d***head”.
Former I’m a Celebrity star Georgia Toffolo also called Hancock “disgraceful” for going on the show.
I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! airs Sunday to Friday at 9pm on ITV.
