Ex-contestant Gillian McKeith joins Jungle Confidential to give her verdict on Matt Hancock

Former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here contestant Gillian McKeith today predicted that Matt Hancock could end up winning the show on the Mail’s Jungle Confidential podcast.

McKeith said that while she disapproved of the former health secretary appearing on the show, his dogged performance in the bush-tucker trials so far was inevitably winning him some fans.

Jungle Confidential is a daily video podcast by Mail Online and Mail Plus. It can be found on the Mail Online homepage Monday-Friday after 1pm as well as on our YouTube channel and on Mail Plus.

She told host Katie Hind ‘people are starting to like him,’ describing this season as the ‘Matt Hancock show, without a doubt’.

McKeith said she originally thought Mike Tindall could be the 2022 winner.

‘But Mr Hancock – if he doesn’t get voted out first, he could potentially win,’ she said, adding that ‘it would be extreme’.

McKeith also spoke on the podcast about the moment she famously fainted during a live trial in 2010, saying she hadn’t felt well that day but didn’t want people to think she was trying to get out of the challenge.

Gillian McKeith today predicted that Matt Hancock could end up winning the show on the Mail’s Jungle Confidential podcast

McKeith herself was a contestant of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in 2010

Giving her view on Matt’s appearance on I’m a Celeb, she said: ‘The issue that I have – and that I think most of the country has – is that a sitting MP is on a reality show and in particular this show that garners a huge watching audience.

‘A sitting MP needs to be with his constituents doing the job that a sitting MP does.

‘If you look at the mood of the country, there’s a vast majority who are very upset he’s there because 1) he’s a sitting MP and 2) he broke his own lockdown rules,’ she continued, saying he claimed they were not rules but ‘guidance’.

She said a vast number hold him responsible for the ‘misery and awfulness’ that happened to people and their livelihoods – and so there’s a ‘huge upset without a doubt’.

But McKeith admitted he’d perhaps changed some people’s minds about him.

‘Now what’s happened is he has surprised people in his amiability in this show and he’s come across as very friendly and amiable. I do actually think he’s winning people over but there’s still a vast majority who are not happy.’

She said she thinks he’s repeatedly voted to do the trials because she thinks ‘people are voting to make him suffer’.

‘He has no fears you can see that, he just gets on with it,’ she said.

McKeith also referred to the fact he’d said he was going onto the show to talk about dyslexia – but is yet to do so. ‘He hasn’t mentioned it once,’ she said.

But McKeith admitted: ‘People are starting to like him.’

McKeith said ‘of course’ Matt Hancock is ‘playing a game, that’s why he’s there’ as she spoke on the podcas

All of the campmates have been a bit tepid towards Matt Hancock, she said. 

‘Boy George is probably not saying what he really thinks, he’s keeping a lot of it to himself.

‘I think he’s got a lot more opinions about the situation being in there with Matt Hancock, I don’t think he wants to be in there with Matt Hancock but he probably doesn’t know what to do.’

She said she finds it intriguing that contestants haven’t got ‘everything out on the table’. 

McKeith later said ‘of course’ Matt Hancock is ‘playing a game, that’s why he’s there’. 

She also spoke about the moment she fainted during a live trial when she was an I’m A Celeb contestant herself in 2010.

‘I have a history of fainting since I was five years old so when the circumstances are such that I haven’t eaten for like two, three days… I wasn’t feeling well in that live trial and all the boxes were ticked for disaster.’

She said everyone knew she wasn’t well that day and though she wasn’t forced to do the trial she felt obligated as she didn’t want people to think she was getting out of it. 

McKeith spoke about the moment she fainted on the show during a live trial saying she hadn’t felt well that day

Matt Hancock took on yet another gruesome trial during Sunday’s episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here – which marked his fifth in a row.

The 44-year-old, who has been vocal about his fear of snakes, faced the creatures as well as swarms of flies and a series of animal guts.

The MP shrieked as the snake slithered around a bed as he tried to grab one of the stars which was hiding underneath the reptile. 

Matt returned to camp with nine stars after facing his fears during the Bushtucker trial, but admitted he was slightly disappointed not to bag the full 11.

The challenge saw Matt arrive at a creepy dolls house which featured four different rooms full of horrors, as he made his way around looking for hidden stars.

As Matt headed off to take on the latest Trial, House of Horrors, Scarlette told him: ‘If you can do the House of Commons you can do the House of Horrors.’

Matt Hancock took on yet another gruesome trial during Sunday’s episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here – which marked his fifth in a row

The former Health Secretary, 44, who has been vocal about his fear of snakes, faced the creatures as well as swarms of flies and a series of animal guts

Matt faced an array of creepy crawlies during the disgusting trial 

He was seen grabbing guts at one stage during the trial – an image of the moment as it appeared on screen 

Matt replied: ‘Bring it on!’

Arriving at the Trial clearing, Matt told Ant and Dec: ‘I’ve had quite a full on morning as I got stung by a scorpion. It was unbelievably painful.’

Dec asked: ‘So it was a scorpion in camp?’

Matt replied: ‘Yeah. It was really painful – it still hurts! But they say the smaller scorpions they just hurt, they don’t kill you.’

Matt returned to camp with nine stars after facing his fears during the Bushtucker trial, but admitted he was slightly disappointed not to bag the full 11

Matt faced snakes after discussing his fear of the reptiles – he was heard shrieking as a snake jumped out at him

Dec said to Matt: ‘5th Trial in a row – why do you think you keep getting voted for?’

Matt replied ‘it must be the facial expressions.’

Ant explained the trial saying: ‘Inside this giant doll’s house are four rooms. All you have to do Matt is crawl around, searching for stars. Every star that’s in your star bag at the end of time will count as a meal for camp.’

In the first room was pigeons. Dec shuddered: ‘Pigeons. I don’t like it Ant, I don’t like it. It’s the ‘flappiness’ that gets me. I don’t like the beaks either.’

Continuing around the rooms, Matt is faced with 2.5 million flies. Matt said: ‘The thing you don’t know is this really smells!’

As he continued, he repeatedly found spiders on the stars and had to rummage through offal.

In the final room Matt found snakes. He said: ‘Snakes, you know that I don’t like snakes. Oh my goodness, that’s alive!’

The house was filled with toy dolls and creepy stuffed birds

Matt was swarmed by flies in one room and brushed off the bugs as he attempted the challenge

As one of the snakes tried to strike Matt, he struggled to get to his next star.

Ant asked: ‘Did it bite you?’

Matt replied: ‘No, it didn’t actually touch me.’

At the end it was confirmed Matt had located 9 out of the 11 stars on offer.

Ant and Dec couldn’t hide their reaction to the creepy challenge as they held their hands to their mouths

Matt said: ‘That was no easy [task]… look at those snakes.’

He added: ‘I’m really, really happy with the one I got off the bed as it had snakes wrapped around it. I just went in very carefully.

‘I’m happy with 9, it’s not quite ‘nailed it 11′. It’s enough food for Owen and everyone else.’

When he told everyone the result, Matt said: ‘Everybody lit up and cheered, it was brilliant.’

Seann in the Bush Telegraph said: ‘That must have been terrifying for Matt. A snake [at] eye level.’

Matt told camp: ‘I was absolutely s***ting myself.’

Babatúndé in the Bush Telegraph said: ‘I’ve just got to big him up man, he’s really stepping up to each and every trial.’

Matt managed to get nine out of a possible 11 stars during the trial

Later on in the episode, Matt was crowned camp leader after winning a leadership contest again his fellow camp mates.

It comes after viewers complained that the ITV programme was turning into ‘the Matt Hancock show’, after he was picked to complete his fifth Bushtucker trial.

Matt faced Mike Tindall in the leadership struggle, who moaned that he would be ‘in so much s**t’ for losing to the MP.

Matt Hancock was crowned camp leader after winning a leadership contest again his fellow camp mates during Sunday’s episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here

And Mike will be facing jibes once he arrives home, as Matt and his deputy Charlene White managed to bag the win despite Matt’s claims they were the ‘underdogs’.

One person who made it clear they won’t be following any orders was Boy George, who insisted: ‘Ultimately, neither of them will have any power over me. If I don’t want to do something I won’t do it.’

As the two contestants went head to head in the challenge area, Matt and Charlene and Mike and his deputy Sue arrived to find a wall of lights.

It comes after viewers complained that the ITV programme was turning into ‘the Matt Hancock show’, after he was picked to complete his fifth Bushtucker trial (Matt hugging Sue after he won the challenge)

The instructions read: ‘In front of each team is a wall of lights. You will only see which lights are switched on when you press the red button. The first team to turn on all their lights will become the leader and deputy of camp. 

‘Mike and Matt, you will be responsible for turning the lights on. However, you will be blindfolded and will have to rely on your chosen deputy to give you instructions from the deputies’ chairs.’

Mike joked: ‘If I went home and I’d lost to Matt Hancock, I’d be in so much s***.’

Matt told Charlene: ‘We are definitely the underdogs.’

Charlene said: ‘No, no, no you do not come into this challenge with that attitude young man!’

Matt said: ‘We’re underdogs.’

The former Health Secretary, 44, faced Mike Tindall in the leadership struggle, who moaned that he would be ‘in so much s**t’ for losing to the MP

And Mike will be facing jibes once he arrives home, as Matt and his deputy Charlene White managed to bag the win despite Matt’s claims they were the ‘underdogs’

As the two contestants went head to head in the challenge area, Matt and Charlene and Mike and his deputy Sue arrived to find a wall of lights

The instructions read: ‘In front of each team is a wall of lights. You will only see which lights are switched on when you press the red button. The first team to turn on all their lights will become the leader and deputy of camp’

Instructions: ‘Mike and Matt, you will be responsible for turning the lights on. However, you will be blindfolded and will have to rely on your chosen deputy to give you instructions from the deputies’ chairs

Referencing Matt’s 2019 leadership challenge, Charlene quipped: ‘Did you go into the leadership challenge thinking you were the underdog.’

Matt humbly replied: ‘Yeah…’

Charlene laughed: ‘Well then that’s why you lost.’

As they took on the challenge, Charlene inadvertently misunderstood and was directing Matt to turn the lights off. She then got her left and right muddled up sending him into the bushes.

Charlene admitted: ‘I got in a muddle between my left and my right!’

Matt laughed: ‘She kept sending him into the bushes!’

But he added: ‘My speed felt like it got quicker, because I trusted you.’

Mike joked: ‘If I went home and I’d lost to Matt Hancock, I’d be in so much s***’

Referencing Matt’s 2019 leadership challenge, Charlene quipped: ‘Did you go into the leadership challenge thinking you were the underdog and Matt replied ‘yes’

Charlene laughed: ‘Well then that’s why you lost’

Sue and Mike raced to beat Matt and Charlene, but ultimately he won.

Sue yelled: ‘Oh, b*****x! Furious.’

Matt said: ‘Obviously, it’s a great honour and privilege to be camp leader. I want to thank everybody who voted for me.’

Charlene said: ‘Does this win feel sweet, especially after you lost to Boris? Do you feel like you have been vindicated?’

Sue and Mike raced to beat Matt and Charlene, but ultimately he won

Matt said: ‘Obviously, it’s a great honour and privilege to be camp leader. I want to thank everybody who voted for me’

The two new leaders chalked out some jobs for the campmates to take on

Matt replied: ‘This more than makes up for it.’

Charlene said: ‘I’m super, super proud of Matt for winning one leadership contest.’

Sue said: ‘We now have a dictatorship.’

Mike added: ‘But there’s always time for revolution.’

On Saturday viewers were left unimpressed after Matt was nominated to do his fifth consecutive Bushtucker Trial.

On Saturday viewers were left unimpressed after Matt was nominated to do his fifth consecutive Bushtucker Trial

The politician came out on top of the public vote for the next challenge, which aired the following day.

After the news was delivered by hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, Matt’s campmate Babatunde Aleshe declared: ‘You are the man, you are the man! You’ve done four trials, you got stung by a scorpion and now you’ve got to do this trial!’, but the television audience was not as impressed.

Taking to Twitter to express their annoyance, one person wrote: ‘Why are people continuing to vote for Matt Hancock to do trials? He’s loving the attention. He should be in Britain doing the job he was elected to do. I’m A Celeb has now become the Matt Hancock show! Yuk! 

‘ImACeleb it is about time people left Matt Hancock alone he has done four trials and still he is being picked on give it a rest,’ wrote someone else.

Showing some sympathy, another I’m A Celebrity fan wrote: ‘Starting to feel sorry now for @MattHancock yeah he has made some huge mistakes, but give the trials to someone else now. Let them have the pressure! #ImACeleb.’

While another person posted: ‘Ok, so like the rest of the nation I wanted to see Matt Hancock scream and do the trials BUT now we know he is doing ok STOP giving him the air time he wants! STOP voting for him now! And give him something he doesn’t want! Less air time!’

Someone else shared: ‘Funny how we moan about it but I bet half of you ain’t voting for someone different, I agree it’s boring watching him do every trial because ultimately he smashes them! It’s not the fault of I’m A Celeb, it’s us, if everyone moaning voted someone different we might see someone new.’

‘Seriously peeps this is getting boring now. Pick someone else to do the trials, let some of the moaners have a go and see how far they get,’ wrote another viewer.

Unimpressed: Many viewers of the show took to Twitter to express their annoyance at Matt doing another trial

Another person tweeted: ‘Put someone else in a trial getting boring now Matt will do great in all of them the rest are just sat doing nothing.’

While someone else wrote: ‘British Public – he will do any trial thrown at him as he wants redemption. Stop voting for him!’

‘This is getting boring now Matt Hancock is good at the trials. He isn’t entertainment! #imaceleb,’ posted another viewer.

While someone else wrote: ‘#ImACeleb getting a bit boring having Matt Hancock do all the trials. All these other celebs are getting a free ride. Make @ChrisMoyles do one!’ 

The next live episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! continues on Monday at 9pm on ITV and ITV Hub.

I’M A CELEBRITY 2022: THE FULL LINEUP

BOY GEORGE

BOY GEORGE

AGE: 61

CLAIM TO FAME: Legendary pop star

PHOBIAS: Being scared

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? No, I am going straight into the jungle from playing at various festivals and gigs

ROLE IN THE CAMP: In-house dietician reassuring everyone that they will be ok on the jungle diet. And entertainer – I will sing!

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I am a very positive person and I don’t bear any grudges

DREAM CAMPMATE: It would be funny if my ex, Jon Moss, comes on the programme -but I don’t think that will happen!

CHRIS MOYLES

CHRIS MOYLES

AGE: 48

CLAIM TO FAME: Radio DJ

PHOBIAS: I am petrified of heights. I ended up carrying the bags when we took my girlfriend’s niece once to Go Ape as I am so petrified!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? A friend’s birthday, a wedding, and Leeds United matches

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Entertainer. Hopefully I can help shorten everyone’s boredom.

BEST ATTRIBUTE: Hiding food! I am going to fly out early and sneak into the jungle and hide pot noodles everywhere, then I will be everyone’s best friend!

DREAM CAMPMATE: Ant and Dec…let’s see how they cope for 24 hours!

SUE CLEAVER

SUE CLEAVER

AGE: 59

CLAIM TO FAME: Playing Eileen Grimshaw in Coronation Street

PHOBIAS: Don’t be ridiculous! I am not going to admit to what I fear most!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? Coronation Street and we are expecting another grandchild any day, so hopefully it will arrive before I fly out to Australia.

ROLE IN THE CAMP: I will be more of a mum – that is where I will naturally fit.

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I can cook and I am a good listener, so hopefully I will be a friendly ear for everyone.

DREAM CAMPMATE: Good Morning Britain’s Richard Arnold. He is my TV husband and it would be lovely to have an ally in camp!

SCARLETTE DOUGLAS

SCARLETTE DOUGLAS

AGE: 35

CLAIM TO FAME: Presenter of A Place In The Sun

PHOBIAS: Spiders. There is no point in lying about it! I’ve got an irrational fear about them

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? Just a holiday which I can postpone

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Mum, cook and morale booster. I always like to look at the positive side in life

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I can cook and I will be good at making sure everything is tidy in camp

DREAM CAMPMATE: Mo Gilligan. He is hilarious and I totally fancy him!

BABATÚNDÉ ALÉSHÉ

BABATÚNDÉ ALÉSHÉ

AGE: 36

CLAIM TO FAME: Comedian

PHOBIAS: I am scared of absolutely everything. Snakes, rats – I am fearful of them all and I am dreading the trials

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? I was going on tour but we’ve postponed it now until next year

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Tension breaker. If I can break tension anywhere it starts up in the camp, then I will do that. We don’t need to be bickering as it will be a first-time experience for everyone

BEST ATTRIBUTE: Hopefully I will bring some humour to the camp

DREAM CAMPMATE: I am a big Arsenal fan and so any ex-Arsenal player would be great. I am looking forward to chatting to Ant & Dec about football

SEANN WALSH

SEANN WALSH

AGE: 36

CLAIM TO FAME: Comedian

PHOBIAS: I am not too pleased about rats being in there but I am just trying to pretend it is not happening! 

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? No, I am really looking forward to taking part in this show

BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION YOU WANT TO DISPEL IN THE JUNGLE: People have voiced their feelings about me and I am hoping they will see I am very different. I want to create new memories

ROLE IN THE CAMP: I am a great listener. I can’t cook but if someone would like to teach me, then I will give it a go 

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I don’t want to put myself down but if my friends were to answer this question, they would say there isn’t much Seann can do! I am not really bringing too much to the table which is why I am a good listener! 

DREAM CAMPER: Lee Evans, anyone from Blink-182 or Boy George. My mum took me to see him at Wembley and he wore a satellite dish as a hat! 

MIKE TINDALL

MIKE TINDALL

AGE: 44

CLAIM TO FAME: Rugby Union player and married to Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall

PHOBIAS: I haven’t admitted to having any phobias but in a weird way, I am looking forward to taking part in the trials!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? My podcast series and the rugby Internationals this autumn

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Morning motivator. I would like to see everyone get on well and us all have a great experience

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I am a positive person

DREAM CAMPMATE: Samuel L Jackson would be cool. He has lived the life!

OWEN WARNER

OWEN WARNER

AGE: 23

CLAIM TO FAME: Playing Romeo Nightingale in Hollyoaks

PHOBIAS: Snakes!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? I am a big fan of football so I will miss watching the start of the World Cup

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Entertainer and games coordinator

BEST ATTRIBUTE: It is definitely not my cooking skills or brains!

DREAM CAMPMATE: Any of the Leicester City starting 11!

CHARLENE WHITE 

CHARLENE WHITE

AGE: 42

CLAIM TO FAME: ITV newsreader and Loose Women anchor

PHOBIAS: I am not sure what my fear factor will be because I’ve never had rodents, spiders and snakes crawling all over me!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? My children’s annual school ball which I am gutted about

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Mum and cook. I don’t mind falling into that position

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I like to listen and talk. I love learning about people and I have a natural curiosity for people

DREAM CAMPMATE: Colin Murray and Richard Osman

JILL SCOTT

JILL SCOTT

AGE: 35

CLAIM TO FAME: Retired England Lioness

PHOBIAS: I don’t like rats and the thought of being underground fills me with fear!

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? The Men’s World Cup. I am going to find it weird not being able to know how the men are getting on in the tournament. Hopefully they will still be in the tournament when I come out of the jungle

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Helping hand. I like to help people if they aren’t having a good day

BEST ATTRIBUTE: Hard worker. I will always find a way to add value. I am also very honest

DREAM CAMPMATE: Another sports person would be great as it would be someone to bounce ideas off.

OLIVIA ATTWOOD

OLIVIA ATTWOOD – EXITED THE SHOW

AGE: 31

CLAIM TO FAME: Love Island star

PHOBIAS: I hate the dark so I’m keen to avoid any challenges in the darkness

MISSING ANY BIG OCCASIONS? No, had the show been on air any later, I could have missed my sister’s wedding

ROLE IN THE CAMP: Clown. I was always the class clown at school and I love having a laugh

BEST ATTRIBUTE: I don’t take myself seriously and I have got a good sense of humour

DREAM CAMPMATE: A pop legend like Dolly Parton who has amazing stories to tell

MATT HANCOCK

MATT HANCOCK

AGE: 44

CLAIM TO FAME: Politician

PHOBIAS: Snakes. I don’t thankfully suffer from claustrophobia –or I think I don’t!

BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION YOU WANT TO DISPEL IN THE JUNGLE: Politicians are people too and it will be nice for people to see me as me. We are human too

ROLE IN THE CAMP: I like to muck in, and I think I will be collecting a lot of firewood. I like cooking too