Matt Hancock won a stunning £10,000 for a televised interview in which he stated that he did not ‘mainly’ go on I’m A Celebrity… I need to get out of here! for the money.
In the most recent register of members’ financial interests, the former health secretary acknowledged a fee from ITV for an interview on Good Morning Britain.
According to the record, he earned paid for two hours of labour from Shine Talent Management Limited.
Constituents and then-Conservative colleagues chastised Hancock for entering the Australian jungle for I’m A Celebrity, where he finished third following a contentious stay on the reality show, trailing soap star Owen Warner and Lioness Jill Scott.
Before appearing on the show with Boy George and Mike Tindall, it was reported that Hancock will be donating his money to St Nicholas Hospice Care, a charity for which he collected over £8,000 during the 2021 London Marathon.
‘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,’ a source said at the time.
It was later confirmed that Hancock had been paid £320,000 for 30 days work in the jungle, after reports suggested the final amount could reach £400,000.
Of that, it was confirmed to Metro.co.uk that Hancock donated £10,000 to charity, with a spokesperson saying: ‘As well as raising the profile of his dyslexia campaign in front of 11-million viewers, Matt’s donated £10,000 to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and the British Dyslexia Association, off the back of his appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.’
After this donation, he told ITV during an interview on January 31: ‘I didn’t primarily do it (go on the reality show) for the money, I primarily did it to try to show who I am.
‘I think £10,000 is actually a decent sum.’
GMB host Kate Garraway also questioned Hancock on how families affected by his coronavirus policy felt about his choice to appear on I’m A Celebrity.
Garraway’s family was among those severely damaged by Covid-19, as her husband Derek Draper, a former political consultant, became extremely ill with coronavirus in March 2020, resulting in long-term organ damage that needs daily care.
‘As soon as it was announced he was going in, people immediately contacted me because I’ve been in the jungle,’ the 55-year-old said.
‘When you talk about the moment that you fell in love, and was seen – was caught – falling in love, and whether it was guidelines or legal, and you say that’s irrelevant, because you morally felt that you did wrong… I suppose the problem is that because you were health secretary and because at that time I couldn’t visit Derek in hospital, he couldn’t see his kids, thousands of others couldn’t go and see the people they loved for various reasons because they were following the guidelines.’
'I couldn't visit Derek in hospital, he couldn't see his kids.'@kategarraway questions @MattHancock on why he decided to go into the jungle and release a book before the Covid inquiry. pic.twitter.com/NgnfScFYmL
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) January 31, 2023
When it comes to the social distancing requirements, Garraway underlined that it was “all muddle” for many people “out here in the world.”
‘It gives the impression that you still don’t get why they’re cross. You still don’t get why people are upset, because that amount of money is vast to everybody,’ she said.
While some celebrities may have got comparable sums for I’m A Celebrity, the broadcaster noted that members of the public are ‘holding [Hancock] to more account’ because of his involvement in government during the epidemic.
West Suffolk MP Hancock lost his Tory whip as a result of his performance on the reality TV programme, and he now sits in the Commons as an independent.
He was forced to quit as health secretary when leaked CCTV footage revealed him kissing his employee Gina Coladangelo, who received him on the bridge after his jungle stay.
Hancock also received £45,000 for his appearance on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, which he spent 80 hours recording.
He spent the first week of October filming, only weeks before leaving for I’m A Celebrity in Australia.
According to reports, he will appear in the upcoming series with talents such as Gareth Gates and James Argent.
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! is available to watch on ITVX.
Source My Celebrity Life.
