Crooner Matt, the off-key karaoke king of the jungle
(as George greets Gina after his exit)
HE was ruthlessly mocked when a video of him belting out a Queen song during an energetic karaoke session was leaked back in 2017.
But the derision doesn’t seem to have fazed Matt Hancock, who proudly sang another of the band’s biggest hits during Tuesday night’s I’m A Celeb.
The former health secretary, 44, looked confident as he performed an off-key version of I Want To Break Free before playing the air guitar for campmates.
‘Lord, have mercy. What was Matt doing?’ said Babatunde Aleshe, 36, in the Bush Telegraph.
‘I think Matt was trying to tell us all something when he sang I Want To Break Free,’ said Seann Walsh. ‘Be free, Matt.’
In October 2017, Mr Hancock was filmed performing Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now at the Tory party conference alongside Therese Coffey and Anne Milton in a video that went viral.
Earlier in the episode, Mr Hancock joined his fellow campmates in a group rendition of Culture Club’s Karma Chameleon.
Afterwards he apologised to Boy George, 61, saying: ‘I murdered one of the high notes, I’m sorry.’
The singer has not always seen eye to eye with the politician throughout his time in the jungle.
But he didn’t seem to have any qualms about spending time with Mr Hancock’s girlfriend Gina Coladangelo after his jungle exit.
He was pictured chatting to Miss Coladangelo – Mr Hancock’s former aide – when he bumped into her at the JW Marriott Resort and Spa, where friends and family of the contestants are staying.
The pair were seen having an animated conversation while Miss Coladangelo, wearing a black dress and white trainers, put her hand to her chest and laughed. Despite being heavily criticised for his appearance on the show, Mr Hancock has won over viewers and is now favourite to win the series, according to a Mail+ poll.
The politician has 36 per cent of the votes, followed by Mike Tindall who has 23 per cent. Former footballer Jill Scott is currently in third place with 17 per cent.
In last night’s episode, Tindall and Mr Hancock took on the Deals On Wheels challenge, which involved them bursting red balloons with a spike attached to their helmets to solve an anagram.
‘I’m terrible at anagrams. I’m dyslexic, so all the letters are already in an anagram, so it’s on you,’ Mr Hancock said to Tindall.
Tindall worked out that the word was ‘ninety-nine’ and phoned it through to campmates, who were given a question. They answered wrong and didn’t win their prize.
Meanwhile, Boy George has been refused permission to fly back to the UK from Australia after the homesick star demanded a waiver from the I’m A Celeb final.
The singer, 61, is ‘desperate’ to go home but is contractually obliged to stay in Australia until the ITV series has ended.
Sources told the Daily Mail: ‘The fact he has to stay in Australia for days now is an annoyance to him… especially as he isn’t concerned with catching up with his co-stars on the other side.’