Posted: 10:35, November 1, 2022 | Updated: 11:12, November 1, 2022
Matt Hancock was kicked out of the Tory parliamentary party today after dramatically revealing he had agreed to star in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
The former health minister, who resigned after flouting his own lockdown rules by having an affair with long-time aide Gina Colandangelo, will become the 12th celebrity to head into the Australian jungle.
The news prompted a swift rebuke from the Tory high command, with Chief Whip Simon Hart confirming he had been stripped of the whip – the same fate meted out to fellow MP Nadine Dorries when she went on the show in 2012.
“Following a conversation with Matt Hancock, I have reviewed the situation and believe this is a matter serious enough to warrant a suspension of the whip with immediate effect,” Hart said.
After playing a central role in co-ordinating the government’s response to Covid, Mr Hancock’s political career has been on the rise of late. He was not awarded a place in Rishi Sunak’s new government and the new Prime Minister appeared to snub his attempt to offer a handshake outside Tory HQ last week.
Joining Mr Hancock for three weeks of creepy crawlies and Bushtucker Trials are former England rugby player Mike Tindall, 80s hitmaker Boy George, Love Island star Olivia Attwood and DJ Chris Moyles.
Joining them for the show’s return on November 6 will be actor Owen Warner, Loose Women’s Charlene White, A Place In The Sun presenter Scarlette Douglas, Coronation Street’s Sue Cleaver, comedian Babatúndé Aléshé and retired English Lioness Jill Scott.
Matt Hancock, who resigned as Health Secretary after cheating on his wife during the pandemic with his long-term assistant Gina Colandangelo, is to join I’m A Celebrity.
The West Suffolk MP will become the 12th celebrity to head into the jungle, it was revealed today
An insider told The Sun: “Matt is an exciting signing for the show as producers love a star with a story to tell – and always hope the beans will be spilled around the fire.
“He is the latest in a long line of figures from the political sphere, including MPs Nadine Dorries, Stanley Johnson and Lembit Opik.
“There was a question mark over who the twelfth teammate would be, in part because the negotiations for Matt’s entry were so top secret. It looks like Matt was a last minute signing.’
MailOnline has contacted Mr Hancock’s representatives for comment.
