Matt Hancock has finished in third place on 'I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here!'
Matt Hancock is out of the jungle
The 44-year-old politician - who served as the UK's health secretary during the COVID-19 pandemic - had made it to the final of the ITV reality show alongside 'Hollyoaks' star Owen Warner, 23, and footballer Jill Scott, 35, but missed out on being crowned King of the Jungle after 21 days at the last hurdle on Sunday (27.11.22).
Reflecting on his time in the jungle over a glass of champagne, he told Ant and Dec: "I remember all those things but I was like 'Oh God did I really say all that?' I just wanted to show what I'm like as a person. Lots of people come to me with preconceived ideas for obvious reasons and I just wanted ti to be myself. I strongly believe that politicians as a whole don't come across as human."
The MP - who served as Camp Leader and was voted to do six consecutive trials by the public during his time on the show - added that he was "nervous" when he first entered the jungle with comedian Seann Walsh but wanted people to get to know the real version of himself.
I was [nervous]. When I first walked in there was just Seann and we got slightly giddy. He makes everybody look good and then when we walked into the main camp and they already had their dynamics that was quite...but as I say, people think they know me but they don't. They know Matt Hancock from the TV and the media."
Matt - who was famously questioned by ITV newsreader Charlene White over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and how he broke his own social distancing guidelines when he was caught having an affair with aide Gina Coladangelo - added that he was expecting to be grilled by his co-stars but appreciated having "grown-up conversations.
He said: "I was expecting to be grilled and some were really enjoyable and a release because I could say exactly what I thought but some of them got very emotional. I live with those reactions and I feel it bit what I was able to do - one of the things I'm really grateful for - is that we had grown-up conversations. There were discussions, but no aggro."
"I know it was controversial, me coming here. I knew that people had said I shouldn't. We've all got lots of sides to our personalities and there's the serious one but there's also the lighter side of me. I just decided I was going to go in there and be myself as if the cameras weren't there and that's what I did."
Before leaving the reality show for the final time and being met by Gina at the end of the bridge, Matt was asked who he wants to finish in first place tonight.
He said: "That's an impossible question! Definitely Jill."
Tagged in Declan Donnelly Jill Scott