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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Rebecca Cook

I'm A Celeb Ofcom complaints soar above 3,000 as viewers fume over Matt Hancock

I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! has been hit with a wave of Ofcom complaints as the total number of viewers grumbling over the ITV programme has risen above 3,000.

The ITV reality show returned Down Under this year after a two year break during the Covid-19 pandemic, with hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly hitting screens from the Australian jungle earlier this month.

However the 2022 series has not been without controversy as a batch of 12 new celebrities entered camp, with Matt Hancock hitting headlines for his controversial entry on the show as a serving MP, while Love Island star Olivia Attwood exited early on medical grounds.

TV regulator Ofcom has now received 3,287 complaints, with a total of 1,764 relating to Matt Hancock's presence in the jungle. The majority of the other complaints relate to the treatment of the West Suffolk MP, Ofcom confirmed.

Matt Hancock hit headlines for his controversial entry (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

This comes after Ofcom issued a statement last week in a blog post on its website, following a deluge of complaints for I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

The statement read noted that the 'majority' of complainants 'objected' to Matt Hancock’s presence in the jungle, while others were concerned over his treatment treated by the other campmates.

The statement read: "It’s worth being aware that under our rules, in principle - and taking into account freedom of expression - there's no ban on any particular person taking part in programmes.

"However, if the mere presence of a person is likely to cause offence, we would expect broadcasters to take steps to mitigate or justify that offence. How they do that editorially, is up to them.

Ofcom was forced to issue a statement last week following a deluge of complaints (REX/Shutterstock)

"As usual, we'll be assessing all these complaints against our broadcasting rules, before deciding whether or not to investigate."

We'll be bringing you the latest updates on this breaking showbiz news story.

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