Hancock told Covid rulebreak 'a slap in the face'

Matt Hancock has said there was "no excuse" for the actions that led to his resignation as health secretary.

The latest episode of I'm A Celebrity also saw one campmate tell the MP his behaviour was "a slap in the face".

He resigned after he was caught on CCTV kissing a colleague while social distancing guidelines were in place.

Hancock, who was accused of failing to follow the rules he helped put in place, said: "Look, I know how people felt. That's why I resigned, right?"

Hancock quit his cabinet position in June 2021 after the Sun obtained footage of him having an affair in his ministerial office with aide Gina Coladangelo, whom he later left his wife for.

On Thursday's episode, TV presenter Scarlette Douglas asked Hancock about the encounter, which breached coronavirus social distancing rules.

"It was hard. A lot of people had difficult times," she said. "And then to see that people that had kind of set the rules had then broken them, I think was a big slap in the face for everyone."

The West Suffolk MP has faced criticism from his constituents and MPs from across the political spectrum after heading to the Australian jungle for ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

Hancock was suspended as a Tory MP after his involvement was announced. He has said he hopes to raise awareness for his dyslexia campaign while taking part in the series.

Douglas warned Hancock it may take time for some campmates to come to terms with his arrival in camp.

She told him: "There's a lot of things that happened with you during the times, which does make it difficult because people are angry and upset - emotions are running high."

"We are not going to ever exclude anyone," she continued. "We want to make sure that everyone's a family, but if it does feel tough for the first few days, I'm sure you understand why."

Hancock replied: "That's very good of you to say that."

Later in the Bush Telegraph, Hancock told viewers: "Scarlette was very open and also very thoughtful and that's really what it's all about.

"Being able to talk about things, whether they're things you're proud of, or things you're not proud of."

During a separate conversation with comedian Babatúndé Aléshé, Hancock discussed how his life had changed after his affair became public.

"It was really tough," he said. "I messed up and I fessed up. I resigned and it's no excuse but I fell in love, right? That also had a lot of other consequences obviously."

Asked whether he was still with Coladangelo, he replied: "With Gina? Yeah very much so, yeah, totally. That'll be the best thing about being kicked out [of the series], seeing her on the bridge."

Hancock has frequently apologised for his behaviour since stepping down as health secretary. Last year, he told the BBC he was "sorry to those I have let down".

The episode also saw Hancock take part in the latest Bushtucker trial, Tentacles of Terror, in which he was trapped inside a octopus-shaped cage full of underwater critters.

The former health secretary was seen collecting 11 stars in Thursday's episode, the maximum number possible, winning meals for everyone in camp that night.

As he was lowered into the water to begin his trial, host Ant McPartlin asked him: "You must have met a few snakes in your time in Westminster." Hancock replied: "I see what you did there."

As Hancock made his way back to the camp after completing the trial, comedian Seann Walsh and soap star Sue Cleaver were seen discussing his decision to enter the jungle.

Asked what he thought when he met Hancock, Walsh said: "I'm just going to say it how I saw it, he was really lovely, and that man will have a very different account of what he did to what we all think happened.

"I'm not justifying anything that that guy did or certainly what that government, you know, the decisions they've made, but being in his job while that [the pandemic] was going on..."

Actress Sue Cleaver replied: "I totally, totally agree with you, but the choice after everything that happened, and the impact on everybody at home and families and people in homes, to make a choice to come into I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! does not sit well with me."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC on Thursday that Hancock should "voluntarily leave" the I'm A Celebrity jungle and return to Parliament.

Thursday's episode concluded with Ant and Dec revealing to campmates that Hancock and singer Boy George had been jointly voted to take part in the next Bushtucker trial.