Matt Hancock has done what some would have said just a few weeks ago was truly unimaginable and made it through to this year’s I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! semi-final.
The former health secretary was a late arrival in the jungle when the new series of I’m A Celebrity got underway earlier this month.
His decision to sign up for the show was met with a widespread backlash – due to his handling of the Covid pandemic during his tenure as health secretary and the fact he is still a sitting MP – and led to his suspension from the Tory party.
However, Friday night’s episode of I’m A Celebrity featured the last elimination of the series before the final, with Hancock once again garnering enough public support to avoid being sent packing.
Instead, comedian and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Seann Walsh became the seventh star to leave the jungle, with just four contestants now remaining in camp.
While Seann told Ant and Dec he was backing Jill Scott to win, he also praised Hancock, with whom he entered the jungle on the same day, describing him as a “lovely guy”.
“He’s in there for a reason,” the comic added.
Sean also said of his time in camp: “We all listened to each other in there. I don’t know if that is common in the jungle – and everyone kind of got their story out and there was so much support.
“I feel like everyone in there, not just for me, but I think we all accepted one another for who we are today.”
Last week, news presenter Charlene White became the first celebrity to be eliminated, with A Place In The Sun’s Scarlette Douglas, Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver and pop singer Boy George leaving in the following days.
Since then, comedian Babatunde Aleshe and radio presenter Chris Moyles have also been sent packing, while Love Island finalist Olivia Attwood left the show on medical grounds earlier in the series.
Hancock will be joined in the semi-final by footballer Jill Scott, Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner and rugby player Mike Tindall, one of whom will be crowned King or Queen of the Jungle at the end of the series.
I’m A Celebrity returns on Saturday night at 9.15pm on ITV1, with the final then airing on Sunday.
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Matt Hancock had made it through to the I’m A Celebrity final, rather than the semi-final.