Boy George has suggested I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! producers may have pushed for Matt Hancock to win.
The Culture Club star, who was in the jungle with the disgraced former Health Secretary for last year’s season, claims several humorous moments of the campmates insulting Hancock were missed in the cut.
In an extract from new book Karma: My Autobiography published by the Mirror, he wrote: ‘Sue Cleaver used to serenade Matt in the voice of Margaret Thatcher singing I Will Survive. In the voice of Maggie!
‘It was TV gold but, like so many hilarious moments, it was never broadcast. I thought ITV would’ve secretly loved a Matt win.’
In a chapter titled Jungle Is Massive, Boy George, actual name George O’Dowd, reflects on his experience on the ITV reality programme and expresses his’relief’ at leaving when he did.
‘Some campmates and their families at the hotel, I later found out, were speculating that Matt must have a team of professional bots working around the clock voting for him. I laughed at this because it really didn’t matter,’ he continued.
‘Once you walk across the bridge and out of camp you realise just how easy leaving would’ve been. I was the fourth out of the 11 to be voted out.
‘Was I disappointed not to have got further? No. It was a blessed relief. I was paid well for my dues.’
Hancock made it to the final but ended third, with Lioness Jill Scott awarded Queen of the Jungle and Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner finishing second.
In the book, the Karma Chameleon singer admits he was ‘upset’ when Scarlette Douglas questioned him about his time in jail, and that ITV producers may have tried to pull her in that path.
‘Scarlette upset me when she asked about my court case and prison. The question was casually and thoughtlessly posed out of the blue interrupting a terse conversation between me and Matt,’ he said.
‘At the time it felt like she had been told to ask the question. She had no idea of the facts and it upset me.
‘ITV will insist they do not instruct conversations but they plant questions in people’s minds. I was even asked to talk to Jill [Scott] about being gay.’
I’m A Celebrity starts on Sunday, November 19 at 9pm on ITV2.
