Matt Hancock regaled his I’m a Celebrity campmates with a tale about his family nearly facing financial ruin as a child.
The MP for West Suffolk took part in a group conversation by the jungle creek during Tuesday’s (22 November) edition of the celebrity survival show.
After Boy George and Babatúndé Aléshé spoke about their relationships with their fathers and experiences in their childhood, the Culture Club singer jokingly asked Hancock whether the bailiffs had ever visited his home.
To his campmates’ surprise, Hancock offered that it had nearly happened when his stepfather’s business lost a significant cash infusion.
“When the business nearly went bust we nearly lost everything,” he said.
He explained that his stepfather had owned a software business that suffered when a client failed to make payments to the company.
“You know when you type your postcode into the internet and it brings up your address? My stepdad wrote that software,” Hancock said. “The business started in 1988 and in the early 90s is when it nearly went bust.
“We were going to lose the house, both my stepdad and mum were going to lose their jobs,” the former health secretary continued.
“That was pretty harrowing. I was about 14.”
In response to the MP’s story, there was a brief moment of silence before Seann Walsh chimed in: “Bloody hell, kill the vibe Matt.”
Previously in the show, Hancock finally discussed dyslexia after claiming that he’d use his time on the programme to raise awareness of the learning difficulty.
Elsewhere, Boy George was criticised for sneakily eating an extra banana without the prior agreement of his campmates.
I’m a Celebrity continues nightly at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
