From Ed Balls to Penny Mordaunt: politicians who have starred on reality TV as Matt Hancock enters I’m a Celebrity

Matt Hancock continues to be a concept of controversy as the former Health Secretary heads into the I’m A Celebrity jungle this weekend.

Mr Hancock, 44, was suspended from the Tory party when the news broke that he was trading Big Ben for Ant and Dec for a £400,000 payday.

While the disgraced former Health Secretary was labelled “an absolute prat” by a senior Conservative MP, Matt Hancock was slammed by his Newmarket constituents.

Mr Hancock has served the area since 2010 helping with a lot of racing-related issues, but was met with a harsh response as his whip was suspended.

For example, The Sun reported that William Jarvis, chairman of the National Trainers Federation, told the Racing Post: “Up until now he’d done a reasonable job for our industry but he’s obviously thinking about himself rather than his constituents.

“I presume we’ll be looking for a new member of parliament when the time comes.”

While MPs are usually split between Labour and Conservative parties, other backbenchers have shown they are not so conservative as they appeared on our televisions.

So as the UK awaits to watch Matt Hancock face the bushtucker trials, PeopleWorld takes a look at other politicians who have participated in reality television shows.

Ed Balls

The former shadow chancellor Ed Balls was in the running for the Glitter Ball on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2016.

Mr Balls partnered with Katya Jones in the dancing competition and despite misgivings, won over a huge crowd of fans as he let loose on the dance floor.

Despite not claiming first place, Ed Balls left the show in style with his salsa to Gangnam Style racking up an impressive 1.6 million views on Youtube.

Ann Widdecombe

It was no Titanic feat for Ann Widdecombe when she competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 with newly-appointed judge Anton Du Beke.

The audience loved her blunt remarks and her lack of enthusiasm in the dance moves, willing her to Widde-combe on for ten weeks.

Eight years later, Ann appeared in her second reality show being Celebrity Big Brother where she finished as a runner up.

Penny Mordaunt

What could be more-daunting than appearing on reality TV in a swimsuit?

Well, for Penny Mordaunt who has run for Prime Minister twice, the idea was nothing to dive away from, as she appeared in the 2014 series of Splash!

Competing against Gemma Collins and Paul Young, the current leader of the house came in ninth place after failing a somersault.

Edwina Currie

After Edwina retired from politics, she Currie-d on to star in two of the most popular reality shows being I’m A Celebrity and Strictly Come Dancing.

In 2011, Edwina Currie took part in Strictly with Vincent Simone, but unfortunately fell at the first hurdle.

However, Matt Hancock should listen to the former politician as she was nearly an Ed-winner in her 2014 gamble in the Australian outback, placing fourth.

Nadine Dorries

Similarly, Matt Hancock has been subject to backlash for entering the jungle with his whip even being suspended, but he is not the first to face criticism.

The ex-culture secretary Nadine Dorries had her party whip withdrawn for six months when she took part in I’m A Celebrity in 2012.

Losing her whip was not the only thing Nadine lost, as she was the first to leave the competition after 11 days.

Stanley Johnson

While former PM Bojo was known for his crazy stunts such as zip lining across London’s Victoria Park, his father politician Stanley Johnson was victorious in winning hearts in 2017 on I’m A Celebrity.

Stanley finished in seventh place but was best friends with the Queen of the Jungle Georgia ‘Toff’ Toffolo, leading him to appear in an episode of Made in Chelsea.

Lembit Opik

Ex-Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik lost two things in 2010 - his seat in the election and surviving the full run of I’m A Celebrity.

Lembit lasted two weeks in the jungle and was even bitten by a snake.

In the following 12 years, Lembit has starred in The Apprentice and Come Dine With Me.

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