Matt Hancock was paid £320,000 ($400,000) to appear on last season’s I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here and a further £45,000 ($55,700) for Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, UK parliamentary documents have revealed.
UK government rules obliged the former Health Secretary to report in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests that he received the money from I’m a Celebrity producer Lifted Entertainment on 14 December – two weeks after filming ended – after appearing on the show for 30 days. Hancock has previously said he donated £10,000 ($12,300) of the fee to charity.
He received the £45,000 from SAS maker Minnow Films via Shine Talent Management on 28 October and the Channel 4 show will air later this year.
The disgraced former Health Secretary, who resigned in 2021 after footage emerged of him breaking his own Covid-19 guidance after having an affair with an aide, sparked debate up and down the country following his I’m a Celebrity appearance, with some full of criticism and others seeing the move as something of a redemption story.
He clashed frequently with fellow contestants such as Boy George but ended up coming third in the Australia-set ITV smash – one of the most watched UK TV shows of last year – which was won by footballer Jill Scott.
On joining the show, Hancock immediately had the Conservative Party whip removed and he will stand down as an MP at the next general election.
He was not the first politician to appear on the show. Former Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries was also suspended by the Conservatives when she featured in 2012 and five years later former Scottish Labour Party leader Kezia Dugdale was a contestant.