Matt Hancock sparked nearly 2,000 Ofcom complaints on I’m A Celeb – here’s why
FORMER Health Secretary Matt Hancock has sparked nearly 2,000 Ofcom complaints because of his stint on I’m A Celeb.
The former health secretary, 44 – who placed third on this year’s series of the ITV show – is arguably one of the most controversial celebrities to ever step foot in the jungle.
Over the past few weeks, 3,727 people have written to the regulator to complain about something on their screens that they were not happy about.
1,890 of those were related to the inclusion of the MP in this year’s series.
When Matt entered camp alongside Seann Walsh as a late comer, it soon became clear that some of the celebrities weren’t happy with him being there.
The public also voted him to do six Bushtucker Trials, one after the other.
Matt’s time in the jungle definitely caused a divide of opinion as a lot of viewers went on to object his treatment by other campmates of the course of the series.
In a statement about the figures, Ofcom said: “It’s worth being aware that under our rules – and taking into account freedom of expression – there’s no ban on any particular person taking part in programmes.
“However, if the mere presence of a person is likely to cause offence, we would expect broadcasters to take steps to mitigate or justify that offence. How they do that editorially, is up to them.”
Matt was sacked from his Secretary of State role during the coronavirus pandemic for breaking Covid rules with his aide Gina Coladangelo.
The politician narrowly missed out on winning the show to Jill Scott and Owen Warner.
After getting the boot, Matt spoke about his decision to take part in the reality show, saying: “I know that it was controversial me coming here, I know some people said people in your position shouldn’t put themselves in embarrassing situations.
“But we’re all human and we all put ourselves in it.”
He added: “I just went in absolutely clear that I was going to be totally myself as if there cameras weren’t on and that’s what I did.
“And that is what I’m like in private!”
