Susanna Reid has chided Matt Hancock for already breaking an I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! rule.
The Good Morning Britain presenter kicked off Monday’s episode of the ITV daytime show (7 November) by addressing the return of the reality series the previous night.
Disgraced politician Hancock was confirmed to be a part of this year’s line-up last week, but he was absent from the launch episode, which was watched by an average of nine million households.
Producers will send him into the Australian jungle in a few days alongside comedian Seann Walsh.
“I think a lot of people last night were wondering where was Matt Hancock,” Reid said to co-host Ed Balls on GMB. Balls replied: “Well, I know he’s in quarantine, but apparently on his phone.”
The contestants are not usually allowed to have personal items before entering the camp and, Reid, unimpressed, said: “That’s not allowed!”
Balls agreed, saying: “I know, I think that’s going to go down quite badly in the camp.”
Reid concluded: “A lot of people did think that I’m a Celebrity would kick off with Matt Hancock there, but it’s going to be a couple of days and he’s got to catch up with what his constituents want him to do in the meantime.”
Balls said he had his “fingers crossed” about seeing him on screens this week, before questioning: “Why am I looking forward to that?”
Reid then urged viewers to “vote vote vote” for Hancock to do the Bushtucker Trials, adding: ‘It’s going to be painful for him.”
Read The Independent’s two-star review of the return of I’m a Celebrity here, and live updates form the launch episode here.
On Monday, it was revealed by ITV that one of this year’s stars had quit the series after just 24 hours.
