Former politician turned reality TV star Matt Hancock has revealed the physical toll he suffered during his upcoming stint on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. Speaking about his time on the Channel 4 reality show, the former Health Secretary said he faced a barrage of physical and mental abuse.
Matt resigned as Health Secretary in 2021, after CCTV footage emerged depicting him breaking his own COVID rules – during an adulterous fling with his former aide and current girlfriend Gina Coladangelo.
He filmed Celebrity SAS last November, shortly before his controversial stint in the I’m A Celebrity… jungle.
In the show, celebrities enter the jungles of Vietnam, where they face a series of mental and physical challenges. The fifth season stars Matt alongside other celebrities, including glamour model Melinda Messenger and musician Gareth Gates.
Matt Hancock reveals physical torment in reality TV show
Speaking on his time in Vietnam, Hancock revealed the barrage of violence he was put through. “It was a far more enjoyable experience than I expected. I’ve never done that before, never done anything like it,” he told The Sun.
He was paired with Liverpool and Stoke footballer Jermaine Pennant in a game of Murder Ball – a game of aggression in which two teams wrestle to get a tyre in a goal.
During the game, Jermaine inadvertently struck Matt in the face. He said: “Though I thought this is a a bad moment, it didn’t hurt nearly as much as I expected, being smacked in the face. The really surprising thing was that it didn’t really hurt when he hit me in the face because your adrenaline is so high, you don’t feel it.”
Trenchfoot strikes
In addition to a slap in the face, the politician also managed to catch trench foot. This is caused by standing in the cold and wet for long periods of time.
“At the end I couldn’t walk, couldn’t stand up. I was in a bit of a mess physically. Trench foot is an incredibly painful problem. It is like having blisters everywhere on your feet. They were red raw for a long time,” Matt added.
‘I went in as a politician and I came out as a human being,’
Matt claimed that appearing on the show helped him to reconsider his political career and let him leave behind “some of the shackles of political life through the course”.
He said going on the show was “just being me”. He reckons he “went in as a politician and I came out as a human being”.
Meanwhile, some viewers have vowed to boycott the show after learning how much the politician was paid for his appearance – a whopping £45,000, according to the Independent.
Read more: Make it stop! Matt Hancock filmed himself lip-syncing to I’m Just Ken and Barbie is forever tainted
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares wins returns to Channel 4 on Tuesday, September 26 at 9.30PM
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