Matt Hancock confessed that he cracked a rib while filming Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, but kept it hidden.
The disgraced former health secretary, 44, has shifted his focus to reality television while continuing to serve as MP for West Suffolk, and has endured more than a few scrapes and bruises on his latest entertainment outing.
When asked if he had considered leaving the Channel 4 programme, in which celebrities engage in military trials, Hancock said, ‘Having my rib cracked was probably the closest I got but I was determined to keep going so I simply kept my lips shut so I wasn’t medically dismissed.’
‘It’s my resilience and drive to keep trying that drove me forward,’ Hancock said of his tenacity. I’m also an optimist, which helps you keep going when it would be easy to quit up.’
Celebrity SAS put the politician through his paces, putting him through a series of interrogations and gruelling activities in the Vietnamese jungle with Gareth Gates, Montana Brown, Melinda Messenger, and Michelle Heaton.
A video has previewed what to anticipate from Hancock’s debut – and it doesn’t look like he’ll have an easy ride, with footage showing him being reduced to ‘tears’ during an interrogation and being knocked to the ground by contender Jermaine Pennant.
Billy Billingham, the series’ chief teacher, has also told Hancock that he will be ‘totally annihilated’ throughout the course of the seven-part series.
‘We treat everybody the same and we really went at him,’ said Billingham.
He continued to The Sun: ‘In the interrogation bit, he gets destroyed, absolutely destroyed.’
Hancock’s appearance on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins comes a year after he went to the Australian jungle for I’m A Celebrity, a decision that drew criticism from lawmakers and celebrities alike, including Jodie Comer.
Nonetheless, Hancock finished third, behind Owen Warner and Queen of the Jungle Jill Scott, collecting a colossal £320,000 fee and contributing a meagre £10,000 to charity.
Hancock’s decision to continue in reality TV, especially while accountable for a constituency, has been questioned, most recently by Alison Hammond.
Commenting on his appearance in Celebrity SAS, an exasperated Alison said on This Morning: ‘Why is he doing reality TV?’
She added: ‘You’ve got to remember, every time I look at him, I think of loved ones who died during the pandemic.’
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins starts tonight on Channel 4 at 9pm.
