Matt Hancock insists viewers will see ‘the real me’ in I’m A Celeb jungle – ‘warts and all’
Former health secretary Matt Hancock’s appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! was officially confirmed in a short clip at the end of Tuesday night’s episode – followed by a preview of the MP’s first bushtucker trial…
Matt Hancock has said viewers will see him “warts and all” while he is on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! – as viewers have been given a glimpse of his first bushtucker trial.
The former health secretary said he hoped to show “the real me” in a short teaser clip at the end of Tuesday night’s episode.
In the video, the MP was officially confirmed as a contestant alongside comedian Seann Walsh.
“This experience will be an adventure,” Mr Hancock said. “When I’m in camp, people will just see the real me. Survival in the jungle is a good metaphor for the world I work in.
“People will see me warts and all, see the human side of the guy behind the podium. I don’t think I’ve got any fears or phobias – but I’m about to find out.”
And ahead of Wednesday night’s show, ITV released footage of the MP and Walsh completing their first bushtucker trial.
Grainy footage shows the pair in a muddy cave, searching through sludge and grubs in the dark for stars that will earn meals for the camp.
Presenters Ant and Dec can be seen laughing as the pair apparently struggle to find any.
At one point, when Mr Hancock asks Walsh which way to go, the comedian replies: “I’m not a satnav, I don’t know!”
The former cabinet minister, 44, has been widely mocked for his decision to appear on the reality TV show and has had the Conservative Party whip removed as a result.
Addressing these concerns, he said that he felt it was “actually really important” to show the public that politicians are “real people”.
Unlike the rest of the camp, Mr Hancock has been given access to his phone and laptop during his isolation so he can continue working and stay connected with constituents.
Walsh, his fellow campmate, told viewers that he was “in no way prepared” to enter the jungle and expressed alarm that there would be no tea or coffee in the camp.
Alluding to his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing, during which he found himself at the centre of a media storm after he was photographed kissing Katya Jones, his dance partner, Walsh said he “went on a dance show” and “didn’t go down too well on that”.
“I get the hunch I’ll be doing a trial or two,” he added.
