Celebrity SAS fans gasp as Matt Hancock shares his favourite reality TV show
Matt Hancock left Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins fans surprised as he revealed his guilty TV pleasure during the latest instalment of the Channel 4 show.
The former Health Secretary, 44, stars on the latest series alongside former The Only Way Is Essex star James Argent, and during Sunday night's episode, Matt revealed that he used to be a big fan of Arg in the show - much to the reality TV star's surprise.
During a wholesome conversation between the two unlikely friends, Arg quizzed Mr Hancock on his childhood, before asking him whether he knew if Arg was from Essex. Before the former TOWIE star could even finish his sentence, Mr Hancock interrupted to reveal that he knows a lot about Arg because he used to be a huge fan of the long-running ITV show.
And when Arg asked the fallen politician if he had ever seen the show, Mr Hancock gleefully exclaimed: "Of course I have." Naturally, Arg was left shocked, as were viewers at home who immediately flocked to Twitter (X) to share their reactions.
"Not Matt Hancock sitting at home watching TOWIE for the past ten years. Ahahaha I cannot get that image out of my mind," one viewer quipped. "Matt Hancock is a TOWIE fan!!! I've heard it all now," another echoed.
TOWIE's Chloe Brockett makes cheeky dig at Saffron Lempriere during filmingLiving the showbiz life is certainly paying off for shamed politician Matt Hancock after pocketing an eye-watering sum to sign up for reality TV shows.
Even if viewers are seeing the former politician being brought down to earth with a bump on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, his bank account is only rising. The 44-year-old disgraced former MP wasted no time in signing up for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here after being booted out of Westminster.
He was reportedly paid an astonishing amount of £320,000 for his time in the Australian jungle, even if he gave 3% of his fee to charity. In his latest brutal TV test, Mr Hancock is set to earn another £45,000. While the amount may not seem that much considering some of the fees fans have become used to hearing about, he earned that money for doing an estimated 80 hours of work – meaning he was paid around £562.50 an hour for the gig.
Mr Hancock was said to earn a six-figure sum during his time in government before he was forced to resign from his well respected position as Health Secretary two years ago after being publicly exposed for breaking Covid rules. Afterwards,Mr Hancockjumped in head first into the world of showbiz and TV - and it seems to be going well for him.
Reflecting on his time on the mentally and physically challenging show, he said: "Being on SAS was like nothing else I've ever experienced. It's one of the toughest physical and mental things I've ever done. It really opens your eyes and makes you look into yourself." He added: "After coming through the most challenging period as health secretary during the pandemic, I wanted to push my limits. It's safe to say the course tested my resilience."
Mr Hancock's entrance into the world of showbiz and reality TV came after he was publicly shamed for having a secret affair with his aid Gina Coladangelo, after he laid down strict social distancing rules to contain Covid. The pair were caught in a very intimate embrace at his Whitehall office, revealing an ongoing affair behind the back of his wife of 15 years.
In a desperate bid to contain the fury by the public, who had endured heartbreak over not being able to visit their loved ones in hospital in the pandemic, Mr Hancock issued an apology. He said: "I accept that I breached the social distancing guidance in these circumstances.
"I have let people down and am very sorry. I remain focused on working to get the country out of this pandemic, and would be grateful for privacy for my family on this personal matter." But it looks as though his public humiliation was not enough for him to curb his relationship with Gina as the pair were spotted on two lavish holidays soon after the scandal came to light.