Matt Hancock insisted that he ‘messed up and fessed up’ after his affair with Gina Coladangelo when they ‘fell in love’ – but cringed as fellow campmate Babatúndé Aléshé repeatedly ribbed him about ‘grabbing her booty’.
The former Health Secretary, 44, spoke about the ‘consequences’ of being caught in a clinch on his Whitehall office’s CCTV, which made headlines around the world and led to the collapse of his 15-year marriage to his wife Martha, the mother of his three young children.
Sat on a log in the camp Babatúndé, took him to task over his behaviour and told him: ‘You messed up’ after Mr Hancock confided in him that life had been ‘tough’ since the affair emerged and he was forced to quit Boris Johnson’s cabinet.
The MP was then repeatedly mocked for ‘grabbing the booty’ of his lover, to which he cringed and said: ‘Oh give over’. Babatúndé said: ‘Look man, I don’t judge you bruv. I may take the p*ss out of you.’
Mr Hancock said he is ‘totally’ in love with Gina and they are still together. ‘That’ll be the best thing about being kicked out, seeing her on the bridge’, he said.
Speaking out: Matt Hancock has already addressed his widely-publicised affair with PR guru Gina Coladangelo just a day after entering the I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! jungle on Wednesday evening
Affair: The former Health Secretary, 44, opened up about ‘falling in love’ with Gina – who he is now in a relationship with – during a conversation with comedian Babatúndé Aleshe during Thursday’s episode of the show
Their affair was later found to have breached the very lockdown rules he helped set while he was Health Secretary in charge of the UK’s response to the Covid pandemic.
The passionate clinch marked the end of his marriage to his now-estranged wife Martha and his time in cabinet.
The former Tory frontbencher, 44, was grilled on his conduct on last night’s show, with comedian Babatúndé Aléshé telling him ‘you messed up’.
‘It was really tough,’ said Mr Hancock. ‘I messed up and I fessed up. I resigned and it’s no excuse but I fell in love, right? That also had a lot of other consequences obviously.’
Aléshé, 34, replied: ‘You didn’t just ‘fell in love’ you were grabbing booty bruv!’
Mr Hancock said, ‘oh give over’, before adding: ‘That’s been hard. I obviously brought it on myself, so yeah… it’s been tough.’ Asked if he was ‘still with the lady’, he replied: ‘With Gina? Yeah very much so, yeah, totally. That’ll be the best thing about being kicked out, seeing her on the bridge.’
He was also grilled by TV presenter Scarlette Douglas, 35, who said his breaching of the rules was making it ‘difficult’ for people to warm to him in camp.
‘A lot of things that happened with you during the times, which does make it difficult.
‘A lot of people had difficult times, and then to see that people that had kind of set the rules had then broken them I think was a big slap in the face for everyone.’
Mr Hancock replied: ‘Look, I know how people felt. That’s why I resigned, right? I know how people felt and so good on you for saying that, thank you.’
Mike Tindall, 44, previously accused him of spewing ‘bull****’ when questioned on his motives for signing up, while Boy George, 61, was left in tears and debating whether he could remain in camp.
The MP for West Suffolk faced a frosty reception on joining camp on Wednesday night’s show which was made worse by the fact he only failed to win six out of a possible 11 stars for camp.
But last night he won all 11 after being voted in by the British public to take on Tentacles of Terror. The trial saw him gasping for breath after being locked into a giant octopus-shaped contraption and lowered into a tank of water.
‘The eels, the sea snakes, I was absolutely petrified,’ he said on completing his second Bushtucker Trial.
‘I can’t believe it. I was so nervous. My heart was racing. I’m really proud of myself for having pulled that off.’
Viewers could hold back their laughter at the exchange and took to Twitter to voice their amusement.
One fan was in hysterics, writing: ‘Not Babatunde telling Matt Hancock he was grabbing bunda. this years I’m a celeb can’t be real’.
Another agreed, tweeting: ‘Never did I imagine I would here someone tell Matt Hancock that he was “grabbing that booty bruv”‘.
A third echoed: ‘MATT HANCOCK GRABBING BUNDA SOMEBODY GET BABATUNDE AN AWARD #ImACeleb’.
Messed up and fessed up! Speaking on his resignation which came after their affair was exposed, Matt said he ‘messed up and fessed up’ as he discussed the ‘tough’ times he has faced since the reports came to ligh
Reaction: Viewers could hold back their laughter at the exchange and took to Twitter to voice their amusement
Hilarious: Viewers could hold back their laughter at the exchange and took to Twitter to voice their amusement
While a fourth said: ‘Babatunde telling Matt Hancock he was grabbing booty. nah this is the funniest crossover EVER #ImACeleb’.
And a fifth chimed in to add: ‘Babatunde saying the phrase “grabbing bootie” to Matt Hancock is not something I ever expected to hear and I don’t know how to feel about it! #ImACeleb’.
Matt resigned as Health Secretary after it was discovered he had breached Covid-19 social distancing rules with Gina and was replaced in the role by Sajid Javid.
He later latter admitted he had ‘blown up every part of my life’ after he was caught on CCTV cheating on his wife with married aide and millionaire lobbyist Gina against the door of his Whitehall office in June last year.
He lost his job when it emerged they were seeing each other despite her being his aide and them breaking social distancing rules that he had created.
Scandal: Matt Hancock has already addressed his widely-publicised affair with PR guru Gina Coladangelo just a day after entering the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! jungle on Wednesday evening
It comes after Matt defended his decision to appear on the reality show, writing in The Sun that it’s his job as a politician ‘to go where the people are’ and that he wants to ‘engage with voters’.
He said: ‘While there will undoubtedly be those who think I shouldn’t go, I think it’s a great opportunity to talk directly to people who aren’t always interested in politics, even if they care very much about how our country’s run.
‘It’s our job as politicians to go to where the people are – not to sit in ivory towers in Westminster.
‘There are many ways to do the job of being an MP. Whether I’m 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.
‘So, the truth is, I haven’t lost my marbles or had one too many pina coladas. It’s something I’ve given a lot of thought to.
‘I was elected by the people, and it’s important to engage with voters, especially younger voters, no matter where they are, and show the human side of politicians.
‘I want to raise the profile of my dyslexia campaign to help every dyslexic child unleash their potential – even if it means taking an unusual route to get there… via the Australian jungle! I’m A Celebrity… is watched by millions of Brits up and down the country.
‘I want to use this incredible platform to raise awareness, so no child leaves primary school not knowing if they have dyslexia.’
It comes after friends of Matt’s estranged wife Martha revealed their shock at his decision to star on I’m A Celebrity – a move that got him kicked out of the parliamentary Tory party.
One friend of Martha’s was searing in their condemnation of the father of three today, branding him a ‘total halfwit who’s making some unwise career moves’.
Meanwhile, one former minister predicted Mr Hancock would be selected for a bushtucker trial ‘every day’. Referring to the notorious challenge for contestants to eat kangaroo testicles, the Tory told MailOnline: ‘I have sympathy for the poor kangaroo.’
The politician added: ‘Is Matt Hancock technically a celebrity? I think he’s probably in a slightly lower league than Mike Tindall. If he’s eliminated in the first round he’ll be appalled. He’s going to be the hate figure, every single day he will be doing a challenge.’
The news drew a rapid rebuke from Number 10, with Rishi Sunak’s spokesman saying the Prime Minister believes MPs should be ‘working hard for their constituents’ at a ‘challenging time for the country’. Mr Sunak is ‘unlikely’ to watch Mr Hancock in action, the spokesman added.
Chief Whip Simon Hart announced he had removed the whip from Mr Hancock – the same fate that befell fellow Tory MP Nadine Dorries when she went on the ITV show in 2012.
‘Following a conversation with Matt Hancock, I have considered the situation and believe this is a matter serious enough to warrant suspension of the whip with immediate effect,’ he said.
PR expert Mark Borkowski estimated Mr Hancock could have been paid a £350,000 appearance fee.
He told MailOnline: ‘They paid Noel Edmonds £500,000 and that was a top booking – either Hancock is desperate for the visibility or the money… if it’s the money I’d expect £350,000 – he should be very careful what he wishes for.’
Oh dear: Mr Hancock – pictured with Ms Coladangelo – will stay as MP for West Suffolk but serve as an independent. While he will be able to keep his party membership, he will not be able to stand for election as a Conservative candidate
Mr Hancock will stay as MP for West Suffolk but serve as an independent. While he will be able to keep his party membership, he will not be able to stand for election as a Conservative party candidate, vote in party contests or stand for committee chairman posts.
A source close to the MP said he would donate some of the appearance fee to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk, but would not say how much.
Today, a political ally said he had accepted he was unlikely to become a minister again and wanted to connect with ‘younger generations’.
‘Politicians like Matt must go to where the people are – particularly those who are politically disengaged,’ they said.
‘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.’
Mr Hancock first turned down the opportunity to appear on the show because of ‘instability’ the government was facing at the time, according to the source.
Hilarious: One friend of Mr Hancock’s estranged wife Martha (who he’s pictured with) was searing in their condemnation of the father of three today, branding him a ‘total halfwit who’s making some unwise career moves’
However, he now believes the administration is ‘stable’ and views his stint on the show as an ‘amazing opportunity’ to talk about issues…
