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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Mark Jefferies & Charlotte Everett

I'm A Celebrity 'never recovered' from Matt Hancock's arrival, complains Vernon Kay

Vernon Kay says the introduction of Matt Hancock onto I'm A Celebrity saw the camp "implode" and it has never recovered.

The radio DJ appeared on the show in 2020 when it was filmed at Gwrych Castle in North Wales and has been watching the new series Down Under every night.

Speaking to Ant and Dec about the series so far he said: "I thought at the beginning of this series, it was going swimmingly.

"I thought relationships were building, I thought the guys were getting to know each other, and then the curveball of Matt Hancock arrived and it all kind of imploded. It felt like they stopped building their own relationships amongst each other.

Matt has ruffled some feathers (James Gourley/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

"Then It was kind of them discussing 'how do we deal with Matt Hancock' because you could tell what was going on was, well, if I go pally, pally with him early, the nation is going to think that I'm turning against Great Britain. Definitely."

Speaking on Instagram, Ant responded by saying he was "quite surprised" Hancock had survived as long as he had in camp.

Vernon added: "I think he obviously felt like he was swimming against the tide, which he was. But you can't take away from the fact that his trials were absolutely awesome, weren't they? He did brilliantly."

Vernon appeared in the Welsh version of the show (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

In April Hancock apologised after the High Court ruled government policies on discharging patients from hospital into care homes at the onset of the pandemic were "unlawful".

And in June 2021 he was forced to resign after CCTV footage surfaced of him embracing his aide Gina Coladangelo at a time when this would breach his own rules on physical contact. It also ended his 15 year marriage.

His decision to sign up for I'm A Celebrity led to him being suspended from the Conservative party.

Matt was a surprise entry (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "disappointed" in Hancock and would not be watching.

Another Tory MP Tim Loughton described Mr Hancock as an “absolute prat” and campaigners for families bereaved in the Covid-19 pandemic accused him of trying to “cash in on his terrible legacy”.

He was chosen to do six bushtucker trials in a row but stayed in camp whilst the likes of Charlene White, Scarlette Douglas, Sue Cleaver and Boy George headed for the exit.

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