On Tuesday’s episode of Good Morning Britain, Matt Hancock was interrogated about the astronomical sum he was paid for his appearance on I’m a Celebrity… Can I please be excused from this?
Ex-health minister insists he didn’t “mainly” go to the Australian jungle for the money, despite being paid a whopping £320,000 to appear on the ITV series.
Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid pressed the politician for an explanation as to why, if this was the case, he gave only £10,000 (less than 1% of his income) to charity.
While on GMB, Hancock was pressed on whether or not he bargained for the outrageous remuneration that was more than what Lioness Jill Scott, the eventual winner of the programme, received.
Insisting that he would have contemplated coming on I’m A Celebrity if he’d been paid as low as a ‘tenner,’ Hancock emphasised that his ‘main reason’ for participating on the series ‘was to connect with people about who I am as a person.
Later on, he was asked why so little of his total prize has gone to charity, given that he didn’t enter the tournament with financial gain in mind.
‘You’ve only given £10,000 to two charities, which is a tiny fraction of the fee. So if the money wasn’t important to you, why have you held on to most of it?’ Madeley asked.
Hancock didn’t explain why he decided to give £10,000 to the St. Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and the British Dyslexia Association, but he did stress that the money was going to “two excellent organisations.”
‘I did absolutely give some of the money to charity, and they’re two brilliant charities,’ Hancock replied.
Madeley continued: ‘No, come on, £10,000, I’m talking about the amount, not the charities.’

o add: ‘If you didn’t do it for charity, why not give it to the causes which need it?’
‘I said I didn’t primarily do it for the money, but also….’ Hancock replied, before he was interrupted by Madeley.
‘I gave a five-figure sum to charity.’ he added. ‘I’m really proud of the money I raised for charity. I think it’s good giving money to charity.’
While in the jungle, Hancock received an MP’s salary, but he has contributed more than that amount to charity, therefore he thinks £10,000 is a “fair” sum to have given.
Although Hancock stated in his GMB interview that he wanted to raise awareness of dyslexia by being on I’m A Celebrity, he was questioned about the show’s failure to address the topic.
Hancock noted that the show didn’t devote “very much” time to discussing dyslexia, but he was proud that “someone who ended up in a top government post with dyslexia” was “shown on ITV primetime TV.”
Meanwhile, the politician maintained his position that he “didn’t get away with” having an affair with his aide Gina Coladangelo during lockdown, despite the fact that they were caught on CCTV footage embracing while social distancing guidelines were in effect and they were both married to other people.
Whenever it was suggested that Hancock had broken the law, he would insist that he had just violated the rules, and he would always add the same caveat that he was “only human” and hence entitled to make mistakes.
When questioned whether he wanted a job on GMB after his I’m A Celebrity appearance, the MP’s cheeks flushed and he praised Madeley and Reid’s jobs while claiming he had no interest in the position.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.