Ofcom receives 1,100 complaints about Matt Hancock appearing on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

Hundreds also complained West Suffolk MP was getting unfair treatment on show
William Mata16 November 2022

Ofcom has received more than 1,000 complaints about Matt Hancock appearing on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! during his first week on the show.

Of the near 2,000 who wrote to the television watchdog about the ITV reality show, just over half (1,100) objected to the former health secretary taking part - while he still serves as MP for West Suffolk.

Others were said to be upset with how he had been treated by other contestants, who have somewhat rounded on him over his handling of the pandemic and for his affair with Gina Coladangelo, who is now his partner after he separated from his wife of 15 years.

A statement from Ofcom said: "It's worth being aware that under our rules, in principle - and taking into account freedom of expression - there's no ban on any particular person taking part in programmes.

Matt Hancock endures the dreaded snake pit on I’m a Celebrity
ITV

"However, if the mere presence of a person is likely to cause offence, we would expect broadcasters to take steps to mitigate or justify that offence.

"How they do that editorially, is up to them."

Mr Hancock is set to reunite with Ms Coladangelo when he leaves the show after she was spotted Brisbane-bound at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday.

Viewers made their feelings clear by voting for him to take part in six dreaded bushtucker trials in a row - which has seen him undertake punishments such as being placed in a snake pit. He said of enduring the torment: “I thought of my children, I thought of Gina, I thought of everybody I loved. I just tried to be calm.”

He has also told campmates: “Do you know what it is actually, what I’m really looking for is a bit of forgiveness, that’s what I’m really looking for.

“We all make mistakes, I made a pretty big one.”

He was also voted as leader of the camp, which he said made up for losing out to Boris Johnson in becoming prime minister in 2019. He pulled out of the Conservative Party leadership contest to replace Theresa May by declaring his allegiance to Mr Johnson, while he also backed current PM Rishi Sunak to take over from the beleaguered Liz Truss.

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