02 August 2023 , 12:03
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Boris Johnson has reportedly held talks with ITV bosses about starring on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! - and we want to know what YOU think of the news.
The former prime minister is rumoured to be pushing for a deal that would dwarf the £320,000 paid to fellow Tory MP Matt Hancock last year. Hancock had the Tory whip suspended after it emerged that he was entering the jungle, and the politician faced backlash from Conservative MPs and his constituency party over his taking part.
Tory chief whip Simon Hart said he believed the matter was “serious enough to warrant suspension of the whip with immediate effect,” while Andy Drummond, the deputy chair of the West Suffolk Conservative Association, said: “I’m looking forward to him eating a kangaroo’s penis. You can quote me on that.”
The Sun reported that Johnson, whose father Stanley featured on the ITV show in 2018, was offered a staggering £700,000 figure to appear, which “would have been the highest ever on the show”, surpassing the £600,000 sum reportedly received by Noel Edmonds in 2018.
But the former Mayor of London is expected to turn down the invitation to jet Down Under - because he’s raking in enough cash from his after-dinner speeches. One source said: “He’s not looking likely. The truth is he doesn’t need the cash as much as he did before, thanks to his income from speeches and, of course, he still thinks he’s going to stage some sort of political comeback at some stage.” A spokesman for Mr Johnson also said: “Boris is not doing this programme and is not in talks to do so.”
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It has been claimed that ITV chiefs are now eyeing up Johnson’s successor Liz Truss, who became the shortest serving PM in British history when she resigned after just 44 days in office. Other well-known politicians that have interested the I’m A Celeb team include former deputy PM Dominic Raab and ex-chancellors Sajid Javid and Kwasi Kwarteng.
A TV insider said: “After seeing the effect of having former Health Secretary Matt Hancock on the show last year, bosses were keen to repeat the feat in the new series. High-level politicians are virtually guaranteed to create controversy in the camp — which equates to compulsive viewing for fans at home.” The hit reality show has previously starred Tory MP Nadine Dorries, who ventured to Australia in 2012.
Politicians have also appeared on ITV's Strictly Come Dancing, with ex-Labour MP Ed Balls taking to the stage floor, while former Tory MPs Edwina Currie and Ann Widdecombe also showed off their best moves.
An ITV spokesperson had said that any names suggested for I’m A Celeb are “speculation”, but we want to know if YOU think politicians should be banned from reality shows? Vote in our poll HERE to have your say.
The Mirror will also be discussing the topic with you in the comments section below and you can join in! All you have to do is sign up, submit your comment, register your details and then you can take part.