Matt Hancock infuriates SAS Who Dares Wins bosses after joining I'm A Celebrity before show airs | The Sun
MATT Hancock has infuriated SAS Who Dares Wins bosses after signing up to I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here.
The Conservative MP was revealed as the surprise 12th campmate by The Sun earlier today.
Matt has now flown out to Australia to quarantine ahead of the show starting on Sunday evening.
His move has angered those working on SAS – which is due to air on Channel 4 next year.
A source said: “Matt was the star signing for SAS Who Dares Wins but now he’s on I’m A Celebrity it has poured cold water all over it.
“He will be on air on ITV’s biggest show for a month.
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“Obviously no one working on SAS is impressed as it really takes away from their show and it looks like they signed him after I’m A Celebrity – which isn’t true.”
“Everyone is pretty angry about what has gone on and it’s not the best move Matt could have made.”
The Sun has contacted a spokesman for SAS: Who Dares Wins for comments.
The Sun exclusively revealed how the West Suffolk MP had joined the line-up earlier today.
Hancock, who had to resign after The Sun exposed him for breaking his own lockdown rules by having an affair in the office, will be the 12th star to go into the jungle.
A TV insider said: "Matt is a sensational signing for the show as producers love a star with a story to tell – and they always hope they'll spill the beans round the campfire.
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"He's the latest in a long line of figures from the political sphere, including MP Nadine Dorries, Stanley Johnson and MP Lembit Opik.
"There's been a question mark over who the twelfth campmate would be, partly because negotiations over Matt going in were so top secret. It seems Matt was a last-minute signing."
A spokesman for I’m A Celebrity said: “We will announce the full line up in due course.”
Shortly after The Sun broke news of Hancock's place in the I'm A Celeb camp, he had the Tory whip removed for abandoning the Commons and his constituents in his Suffolk seat.
Westminster sources say Hancock sprung the I'm A Celeb news on stunned Tory colleagues after not getting promoted in Rishi Sunak's reshuffle late last week.
He had also been tipped to run for boss of the powerful House of Commons Treasury committee, but unexpectedly pulled out of that race on Monday.
Fellow Tory Nadine Dorries had the whip stripped in 2013 for appearing on the show during Commons time.
A senior govt source said: "People are pretty shocked to be honest."
Defending Hancock's decision, a close political ally said: "I'm A Celeb is the most watched show on TV.
"Matt doesn’t expect to serve in Government again, so it's an incredible opportunity for him to engage with the 12million Brits who tune in every single night.
"Matt has told the whips in Parliament and he will use his time in the jungle to promote his dyslexia campaign.
"Matt has an excellent team working with him in West Suffolk, but ITV has agreed that he can communicate with them if there's an urgent constituency matter.
"Matt has always believed in communicating directly with the people he represents – whether that’s getting out and pounding the streets in West Suffolk, through all sorts of media or via those press conferences.
"There are many ways to do the job of being an MP. Whether he's in camp for one-day or three weeks, there are very few places people will be able to see a politician as they really are. Where better to show the human side of those who make these decisions than with the most watched programme on TV?
"Politicians like Matt must go to where the people are – particularly those who are politically disengaged. Matt's of the view that we must embrace popular culture. Rather than looking down on reality TV, we should see it for what it is – a powerful tool to get our message heard by younger generations.
"Matt will be making a donation to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk, and he will, of course, declare the amount he receives from the show to Parliament to ensure complete transparency, as normal.
"When he was first approached to take part – while he was flattered and naturally curious – it didn’t take him too long to turn the opportunity down because of the instability government was facing at the time. Now though, the government is stable. Rishi Sunak has made a great start and the whole of the Conservative party is united behind him. Rishi has a big majority, so he can get his agenda through Parliament.
"Matt's talked to the whips, in the same way any MP would when going on a foreign visit, which happens all the time. As I say, Matt doesn’t expect to serve in Government again, but he can support Rishi and the Government in different ways.
"This is an amazing opportunity to engage with the public and talk about issues he really cares about – including his dyslexia campaign."
Last year The Sun exclusively revealed that Matt was having a secret affair with his closest aide, Gina Coladangelo, 44, and quickly resigned from his job.
He hired her in 2020 with taxpayers’ money, as Covid gripped Britain. They were caught on camera in a steamy clinch at his Whitehall office.
Whistleblowers revealed the Health Secretary had been spotted cheating on his wife of 15 years with married Ms Coladangelo.
He was seen kissing her at the Department of Health’s London HQ during office hours as the mutant strain began spreading.
Matt apologised for his actions, saying: “I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in these circumstances.
“I have let people down and am very sorry.”
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The 10 I'm A Celeb's stars going into the jungle on Monday's launch night were seen together for the first time – in the show's official 'family portrait'.
They are Ex England rugby ace, Mike Tindall, 44; Hollyoaks hunk Owen Warner, 23; Ex Love Island Olivia Attwood, 31, newsreader and Loose Women star Charlene White, 42; singer Boy George, 61, TV host Scarlette Douglas, 32; Corrie star Sue Cleaver, 59; DJ Chris Moyles, 48; comic Babatunde Aleshe, 34; lioness Jill Scott, 35.
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