Viewers of Celebrity: SAS Who Dares Wins were in stitches as Matt Hancock was given a brilliantly hilarious warning.
The sacked health secretary, who has just shifted to reality TV and is making astronomical fees, flew to the Vietnamese jungle with celebrities including Gareth Gates for the Channel 4 show.
The seven-part series, which premiered last night, wasted no time in putting the participants through their paces before delving into the arduous exercises that potential special forces applicants must do during selection.
When Hancock and others, including Montana Brown and Michelle Heaton, initially arrived in the jungle, they were immediately put through an aggressive warm-up exercise that included sprinting on the spot and 20 burpees.
Chris Oliver, 40, a new directorial staff member, inspected the ensemble as they went through the drills before pointing straight at Hancock, 44, and saying, ‘Do not be caught f***ing cheating.’
Viewers perceived the words as a not-so-subtle jab at Hancock’s romance with Gina Coladangelo during lockdown, with the couple seen kissing in newly released film.
Given that it was a violation of the exact Covid-19 laws Hancock had helped create, he resigned as health secretary not long after.
Reacting to the gag, one viewer on X, formerly known as Twitter, remarked: ‘Creased at the bloke on Celebrity SAS looking at Matt Hancock as he says ‘don’t get caught cheating’ might be a bit late with that advice.’
Another said: ‘”Don’t get caught cheating” we’re all looking at you Matt Hancock!’ while a third joked: ‘Matt Hancock is no stranger to being caught cheating.’
"Do not get caught Cheating" #SASWhoDaresWins
Matt Hancock: pic.twitter.com/l7wNGKNtGY— Zach Bacon (@OneWingedTPose) September 26, 2023
Creased at the bloke on Celebrity SAS looking at Matt Hancock as he says “don’t get caught cheating” 🤣🤣🤣🤣 might be a bit late with that advice #celebritysas
— Andrea Teasdale (@andrealesley) September 26, 2023
"don't get caught cheating" we're all looking at you Matt Hancock! #SASWhoDaresWins pic.twitter.com/IWJwMse1xy
— Jamie Simmonds (@Simmo97x) September 26, 2023
Matt Hancock is no stranger to being caught cheating 👀👀 #SASwhodareswins
— Matt Lismore (@MattLismore) September 26, 2023
It wasn’t the only jab at Hancock during the first episode of Celebrity SAS.
Moments before the show kicked off, the savage Channel 4 voiceover introduced: ’16 recruits in an inhospitable landscape next tonight though, as the country’s favourite stars and Matt Hancock all take part in SAS: Who Dares Wins.’
This comes after the erstwhile MP – who raked in £40,000 for his 80 hours work – complained about how the trials on the programme ‘p****d[him] off’ and that he was even given an awful moniker, labelled ‘Matt Handj*b’.
‘They were pretty rude. Calling me names, taking the p**s out of my surname, and god, it p****d me off,’ he told The Sun.
He continued: ‘With all my flaws on the show, when you’re under massive physical strain and you’ve been woken up in the middle of the night, you can’t hide.
‘To make something like this work, you’ve just got to go all in. I went in as a politician and I came out as a human being.’
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins continues on Sunday on Channel 4 at 9pm.