I'm A Celebrity: Matt Hancock told breaking Covid rules was 'slap in face'

Matt Hancock has said determination was "no excuse" for the actions that led to his resignation arsenic wellness secretary.

The latest occurrence of I'm A Celebrity besides saw 1 campmate archer the MP his behaviour was "a slap successful the face".

He resigned aft helium was caught connected CCTV kissing a workfellow portion societal distancing guidelines were successful place.

Hancock, who was accused of failing to travel the rules helium helped enactment successful place, said: "Look, I cognize however radical felt. That's wherefore I resigned, right?"

Hancock discontinue his furniture presumption successful June 2021 aft the Sun obtained footage of him having an matter successful his ministerial bureau with adjutant Gina Coladangelo, whom helium aboriginal near his woman for.

On Thursday's episode, TV presenter Scarlette Douglas asked Hancock astir the incident, which breached coronavirus societal distancing rules.

"It was hard. A batch of radical had hard times," she said. "And past to spot that radical that had benignant of acceptable the rules had past breached them, I deliberation was a large slap successful the look for everyone."

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

Hancock was suspended arsenic a Tory MP aft his engagement was announced. He has said helium hopes to rise consciousness for his dyslexia run portion taking portion successful the series.

Douglas warned Hancock that it whitethorn instrumentality clip for immoderate campmates to travel to presumption with his accomplishment successful camp.

She told him: "There's a batch of things that happened with you during the times, which does marque it hard due to the fact that radical are aggravated and upset - emotions are moving high."

"We are not going to ever exclude anyone," she continued. "We privation to marque definite that everyone's a family, but if it does consciousness pugnacious for the archetypal fewer days, I'm definite you recognize why."

Hancock replied: "That's precise bully of you to accidental that."

Later successful the Bush Telegraph, Hancock told viewers: "Scarlette was precise unfastened and besides precise thoughtful and that's truly what it's each about.

"Being capable to speech astir things, whether they're things you're arrogant of, oregon things you're not arrogant of."

During a abstracted speech with comedian Babatúndé Aléshé, Hancock discussed however his beingness had changed aft his matter became public.

"It was truly tough," helium said. "I messed up and I fessed up. I resigned and it's nary excuse but I fell successful love, right? That besides had a batch of different consequences obviously."

Asked whether helium was inactive with Coladangelo, helium replied: "With Gina? Yeah precise overmuch so, yeah, totally. That'll beryllium the champion happening astir being kicked retired [of the series], seeing her connected the bridge."

Hancock has often apologised for his behaviour since stepping down arsenic wellness secretary. Last year, helium told the BBC helium was "sorry to those I person fto down".

The occurrence besides saw Hancock instrumentality portion successful the latest Bushtucker trial, Tentacles of Terror, successful which helium was trapped wrong a octopus-shaped cage afloat of underwater critters.

The erstwhile wellness caput was seen collecting 11 stars successful Thursday's episode, the maximum fig possible, winning meals for everyone successful campy that night.

As helium was lowered into the h2o to statesman his trial, big Ant McPartlin asked him: "You indispensable person met a fewer snakes successful your clip successful Westminster." Hancock replied: "I spot what you did there."

As Hancock made his mode backmost to the camp, comedian Seann Walsh and soap prima Sue Cleaver were seen discussing his determination to participate the jungle.

Asked what helium thought erstwhile helium met Hancock, Walsh said: "I'm conscionable going to accidental it however I saw it, helium was truly lovely, and that antheral volition person a precise antithetic relationship of what helium did to what we each deliberation happened.

"I'm not justifying thing that that feline did oregon surely what that government, you know, the decisions they've made, but being successful his occupation portion that [the pandemic] was going on..."

Actress Sue Cleaver replied: "I totally, wholly hold with you, but the prime aft everything that happened, and the interaction connected everybody astatine location and families and radical successful homes, to marque a prime to travel into I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! does not beryllium good with me."

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

Thursday's occurrence concluded with Ant and Dec revealing to campmates that Hancock and vocalist Boy George had been jointly voted to instrumentality portion successful the adjacent Bushtucker trial.