Matt Hancock enrages I'm A Celeb viewers as he uses 'I…

Matt Hancock enrages I'm A Celeb viewers as he uses 'I fell in love' excuse for breaking Covid rules

Matt Hancock has once again riled up I'm A Celebrity viewers after addressing the affair that led to his resignation as Health Secretary.

The MP said that things had been "really tough" on the ITV show after his affair with aide Gina Coladangelo was exposed via CCTV footage, costing Hancock his job after he was found to have broken Covid social distancing rules with the romance. The affair also led to the end of his 15-year marriage to wife Martha, with whom the West Suffolk MP has three children.

Hancock addressed the scandal for the first time in the I'm A Celeb camp in Thursday's episode during a chat with fellow campmate Babatúndé Aleshe. After the comedian asked Hancock how things had been, the 44-year-old replied: "Well, it's obviously been... it was really tough."

Babatúndé shot back: "Because you messed up," to which Hancock answered: "Yeah, I did. I messed up and I fessed up, right? I resigned.

"And there's no excuse, but I fell in love, right?" the politician continued. "And that also had a lot of other consequences, obviously."

Babatúndé couldn't resist referencing the infamous CCTV footage, joking: "You didn't just fall in love - you were grabbing booty, bruv."

"Oh, give over. You are a comedian," Hancock replied. "It's been hard, but I obviously brought it on myself. It's been tough."

The MP also confirmed that Coladangelo will be the one to meet him outside camp when he departs the jungle. Asked by Babatúndé whether the pair were still together, he answered: "Very much so, totally - that'll be the best thing about being kicked out, seeing her on the bridge."

The former Health Secretary's comments angered many I'm A Celeb viewers, who took to social media to criticise Hancock - including Loose Women's Denise Welch. "'I fell in love', says Matt Hancock. People couldn’t hold each other at funerals of those they’d loved for 50 years!" she pointed out in a tweet.

"If they broke the rules you made they were threatened with arrest," Denise added. "But great to see you laughing about it with your best friend Babatunde."

Model and presenter Ashley James added: "'I fell in love' - Matt Hancock. Tell that to all us women forced to give birth alone. One of my friends was forced to do it with a mask on!

"Tell that to my friends who lived alone and were crippled with loneliness. To those who couldn't say goodbye to loved ones at funerals."

One frustrated viewer branded Hancock's comments "vile", tweeting: "He’s still so proud of being with Gina too, absolutely disgusting saying 'he fell in love' on live television after the distress he caused his family. No remorse whatsoever."

"This makes me incandescent," another said. "You went on TV every day to tell single people like me that we couldn't date, we couldn't have sex, we mustn't fall in love. You made it illegal! We had to lose our opportunities for love. But you are special?"

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