West Suffolk MP Matt Hancock has insisted he did not “primarily” go on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! for the money as he described the 3% of his £320,000 fee he donated to charity as a “decent sum”.
The former health secretary said the £10,000 donation was “more than my MPs’ salary” that he still received while appearing on the reality TV show in the Australian jungle.
Entering the show amid criticism from constituents and colleagues, Mr Hancock’s team said he would be donating a portion of his appearance fee.
He revealed the sum he gave away to the St Nicholas Hospice and the British Dyslexia Association after official records showed his fee amounted to £320,000.
In an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, said: “I didn’t primarily do it (go on the reality show) for the money, I primarily did it to try to show who I am.
“I think £10,000 is actually a decent sum.”
He confirmed he still received his MP salary while in the jungle, but said his donations were larger than that sum, which is around £7,000 per month.
He insisted that he “certainly would have considered” doing the programme for £10.
Mr Hancock came in third place in I’m A Celebrity behind England footballer Jill Scott and actor Owen Warner.
Records on the MPs’ register of interests showed Mr Hancock received £320,000 from Lifted Entertainment, ITV Studios, for the work which he listed as lasting for 30 days.
The register also showed he had been paid £48,000 for an interview and the serialisation of his book, Pandemic Diaries, in the Daily Mail and Mail On Sunday newspapers.
After leaving I’m A Celebrity, Mr Hancock announced that he would not be standing for the Conservatives at the next general election.
It was previously revealed that Mr Hancock had also earned £45,000 for taking part in Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
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