The former health secretary Matt Hancock has set up his own “television and broadcasting” company Greenhazel, suggesting that he hopes to pursue a career in TV.
Mr Hancock appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in November last year and lost the Tory whip as a result. He has already confirmed that he will stand down at the next general election.
The MP for West Suffolk is currently listed as the sole director of the company, which was registered with Companies House in January at an address in Newmarket, Suffolk.
His stint on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity earned him £320,000 and he donated £10,000 of his fee to charity. He also took part in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins on Channel 4, earning £45,000.
Mr Hancock was health secretary for nearly three years but resigned in June 2021 after he was caught breaking his own Covid guidance by kissing his aide, Gina Coladangelo, in his office.
Following the breakdown of his marriage, Mr Hancock and Ms Coladangelo entered into a relationship and she was there to greet him when he left the jungle in third place.
More from News
Mr Hancock’s appearance in the Australian jungle was criticised by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other top Tories, as well as several other MPs. The Prime Minister said: “MPs not just from my party, from all parties, are focused on debating and trying to solve [challenges the UK faces]. I think that’s what we should be focused on and that’s why I was disappointed he went on the show.”
More than 1,000 complaints were made to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom over Mr Hancock’s participation given that he was still a sitting MP when he went on the show.
Mr Hancock claims to have spent £10,000 on donations to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and the British Dyslexia Association from his fee, adding that the money he gave away was more than his £7,000 monthly salary as an MP.
Records on the MPs’ register of interests 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.
Mr Hancock is due to give evidence to an inquiry into the Government’s handling of the pandemic in the summer. It is not known what type of TV shows Mr Hancock plans on producing at Greenhazel, but reports suggest he is hoping to further launch a television career when he leaves politics.
