Matt Hancock came face-to-face with his I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! campmates and there were awkward scenes as he was immediately confronted over his decision to sign up. After winning six stars for camp with fellow latecomer Seann Walsh in their first Bushtucker Trial Beastly Burrows, the former health secretary finally arrived in the jungle.
The arrival of the Conservative MP for West Suffolk, who has been suspended for taking part in the popular ITV reality show, unsurprisingly sent shockwaves through the group. It wasn’t long before Matt, who was health secretary at the coronavirus pandemic, was quizzed by the celebs and an upset Boy George even threatened to quit the camp as he struggled with his emotions.
At first the 80s pop icon told Matt: “You’re really going to get it. You’re really going to get it. Not from me. I mean just from…” And A Place In The Sun star Scarlette Douglas asked: “Why did you decide to come in?” Matt replied: “Why? Because, all politicians are known - and me in particular - for being in a very sort of strict way of being. Which is just not actually how we are.”
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Scarlette pressed: “How would you say you were?” And Matt he told her: “More human than that.” Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver said: “You’re a brave man.” And he admitted: “Well, we’ll see how it goes.”
Scarlette said: “I’m looking forward to getting to know you outside of everything else. That’s going to be good. Just be your authentic self.”
In the Bush Telegraph Scarlette said: “To be fair, everyone’s human. We all have our own personalities outside what we are seen in the media. So listen, Matt Hancock has come on, he obviously has something to prove, so hey, everyone’s got their own reasons as to why they’re here.”
Comedian Babatúndé Aleshe said: “It’s hard to kind of like push your views aside, it really is, because of the many people whose lives have been affected. But, at the same time, we’ve got to be welcoming and we’ve got to treat people as humans obviously.”
And soap favourite Sue said about Matt: “He sticks out like a sore thumb.” Elsewhere Loose Women panellist and ITV news presenter Charlene White spoke to Matt in the camp lookout.
Matt asked her: “Everybody’s really nice. Nobody’s trying to be spikey are they?” Charlene wondered: “Were you nervous about that?” Matt replied: “Not really… it was on the worry list.” And Charlene asked: “So why did you do it?”
Matt responded: “Because there’s, honest truth, is because there’s so few ways in which politicians can show that we’re human beings, so I just thought it would be good to do that. I’ve got a sense of adventure.” Charlene asked: “So you kind of want people to see you for you?” Matt admitted: “I hope so.”
Charlene said the in the Bush Telegraph: "Matt has a tough hill to climb, but he's put himself on that hill and for me as a journalist, I have to ask him why." She was then seen pressing Matt on leaving work behind for jungle life.
Matt said to Charlene: “If I can use this to sort of peel myself back a bit and just be me, it’s better.” Charlene replied: “But I can imagine it would not have gone down well at all at home? You have to expect that. Because Parliament is still sitting, we’re not in recess, you know…"
Matt said: “I genuinely think that because we’ve now got sort of stability that is…” But Charlene stated: “We’ve had stability for all of five minutes Matt.” And Matt replied about the new Prime Minister: “Rishi’s great, he’ll be fine.”
However Charlene pointed out: “But you can understand if people aren’t very happy at home about it?” And Matt responded: “I understand that. But I also.. of course I get that, right. But I also just think that sometimes you’ve got to do things differently.”
After their chat George and Chris asked Charlene how it went. Charlene said: “I asked why.” Chris quizzed her: “And the answer was?” Charlene replied: “Oh, the same reasons politicians give every time they do these kinds of shows… ‘you need to know who we are behind the political mask’ kind of thing.”
Meanwhile, George confided in Scarlette: “You know, beginning of the pandemic my mum was in hospital. I wasn’t allowed to see her. I thought she was going to die.
"I was tweeting Greenwich hospital going, ‘Please look after my mum.’ I used my name, I was like ‘Please look after my mum.’ And they did, she was fine… I feel like, I don’t want to be sitting here like I’m having fun with him. It’s difficult for me because, you know, had something happened, if my mum had gone, I wouldn’t be here now. I would have gone when he walked in.”
In the Bush Telegraph he continued: “If I had lost my mum, I would go. And I feel a little bit selfish, you know, just kind of… everyone’s so nice to him and I was like 'Jesus, what we gonna do?' I don’t want to spoil this experience for myself. I’m not good at hiding what I feel. Especially when it’s something so strong.”
And after a tense dinner around the camp, George told the Telegraph: "I don't know what to do with my feelings. I don't know whether I want to be here." The following morning hosts Ant and Dec were seen entering camp to inform them that Matt had been voted by the public to do the Tentacles of Terror Bushtucker Trial.
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