by Former health minister Matt Hancock donates 3% of the £320,000 fee paid to him for his controversial appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
Entering the Australian jungle amid criticism from voters and colleagues, Mr Hancock’s team said it would donate part of the visit fee to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk.
Ministry interests track record revealed that the MP’s fee to appear on the ITV reality show was £320,000.
The West Suffolk MP, who lost his Tory whip for his looks, said he donated £10,000 to the hospice near his constituency and to the British Dyslexia Association.
After the show ended in November, he came out in third place, behind actor Owen Warner and England professional football player Jill Scott, from the Australian jungle.
Mr. Hancock was subjected to numerous punitive and heinous duties during his participation, including being forced to eat a camel’s penis and being covered in creepy reptiles.
Records in the MPs’ registry showed that on 14 December 2022, the West Suffolk MP received £320,000 from Lifted Entertainment, ITV Studios, for 30 days – a total of 720 hours of appearance.
A spokesperson for Mr Hancock said: “In addition to raising the profile of the dyslexia campaign in front of 11 million viewers, Matt has donated £10,000 to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and the British Dyslexia Association for appearing on I’. I’m a Celebrity… Take Me From Here Get it out.”
St Nicholas Hospice thanked Mr Hancock for the donation.
We are grateful for his generosity and his gift will be used to fund the care and support we provide.
Mr. Hancock’s appearance on the ITV program was controversial and his decision sparked criticism from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other top Tories, and ridicule from some lawmakers.
More than 1,000 complaints were filed regarding his involvement with broadcast watchdog Ofcom.
While in the woods, he received criticism for his behavior during the pandemic from fellow campmates, including Culture Club singer Boy George and ITV broadcaster Charlene White.
Before entering the woods, Mr. Hancock said he went to I’m A Celebrity to “show what I’m like as a person” as well as raise awareness about dyslexia.
The recording also showed that he was paid £48,000 for an interview in the Daily Mail and Mail On Sunday, and for the serialization of his book, Pandemic Diaries.
Mr. Hancock resigned from the ministry of health for violating social distancing guidelines by kissing and hugging an aide in his office.
After leaving I’m A Celebrity… Mr. Hancock announced that he would not side with the Conservatives in the next general election.
He said he was “incredibly proud” of the party’s achievements in government, but told Mr. Sunak that it had discovered new ways to connect with the public, and urged his party to “reconnect” with the people.
It was previously revealed that Mr Hancock earned £45,000 by appearing on Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
An earlier recording revealed that shortly before he left for Australia, he spent 80 hours filming the show while Parliament was in recess between September 24 and October 8.
His appearance on the Channel 4 show is expected to air later this year.
