Alison Hammond has stated unequivocally that she does not support Matt Hancock’s continued appearance on reality television, saying that ‘every time’ she sees him, she thinks of loved ones who perished during the epidemic.
Last year, the former health secretary agreed to go on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, which enraged many people, with some accusing him of abandoning his constituency amid a cost-of-living crisis.
Others were outraged by the politician’s reaction to the outbreak, as well as his choice to violate social distance laws by kissing a coworker in his office.
Now that he’s slated to compete in the upcoming season of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, Alison hasn’t held back in expressing her feelings.
On Friday’s broadcast of This Morning, a footage of Hancock being probed on the show was shown, in which he stated that he wanted to participate after ‘going through something extremely big…handling the pandemic’ and that he wanted to ‘push the limits again’.
Alison fell out laughing as soon as the video concluded, prompting co-host Dermot O’Leary to ask, ‘Does he mean mishandled the pandemic?’
However she then added: ‘Why is he doing reality TV?’
Guest Gyles Brandreth then responded to her inquiry, saying Hancock had now left politics and sought a “challenging experience.”
Jumping in Dermot added: ‘And managing an affair too. A very challenging experience.’
However, Gyles then said the disgraced health secretary had done ‘the best he could’.
Alison, not ready to let the politician off the hook, mentioned how Hancock admits to a ‘lack of leadership’ in the programme.
‘I mean, no really?’ she added.
Saying he was going to play ‘devil’s advocate’ briefly, Dermot questioned what Hancock was meant to do after leaving politics, however the group then said he should have entered with an exit plan, but would also be left with a generous pension.
‘You’ve got to remember, every time I look at him, I think of loved ones who died during the pandemic,’ Alison continued.
After Gyles again said Hancock was ‘trying to do his best’, Alison challenged that and repeated his quote several times while looking unimpressed.
‘Do you think that’s his best? Being distracted?’ she questioned.
However, they all agreed on the fact they didn’t agree sitting politicians should be taking part in reality shows.
It was earlier said that Hancock would be ‘totally annihilated’ during the interrogations on Celebrity SAS.
‘We treat everybody the same and we really went at him,’ chief instructor Billy Billingham said earlier this year.
‘In the interrogation bit, he gets destroyed, absolutely destroyed.’
He continued to The Sun: ‘At the time I thought, “Oh, hang on, maybe this is a bit much?” But no, he deserved it.
‘The idea is every single contestant will either leave on day one or will leave as a better version of themselves and with Matt Hancock, he’s still got a long way to go.’
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins returns on Tuesday at 9.30pm on Channel 4.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.
