Matt Hancock donates 3% of I'm a Celeb fee to charity

  • Published
Matt Hancock dressed for the I'm a Celebrity jungleImage source, ITV
Image caption,

Matt Hancock was paid £320,000 for his appearance on the ITV show

Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock has so far donated 3% of his fee for taking part in ITV's I'm a Celebrity show to charity.

The West Suffolk MP was paid £320,000 for his stint in the jungle, the register of MPs' financial interests, external has revealed.

Mr Hancock said he donated £10,000 to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and the British Dyslexia Association.

The hospice said in a statement it was "grateful for his generosity".

Mr Hancock remains suspended from the Conservative Party for taking time off from his parliamentary duties to appear on the show.

He said he went onto I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! to "show what I am like as a person".

Mr Hancock ended up coming third on the show behind footballer Jill Scott and actor Owen Warner. Other contestants last year included Boy George, Mike Tindall and Sue Cleaver.

Media caption,

Watch: Campmate asks Matt Hancock why he's on I'm a Celebrity

A spokesperson for Mr Hancock said: "As well as raising the profile of his dyslexia campaign in front of 11 million viewers, Matt's donated £10,000 to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and the British Dyslexia Association."

The hospice, which is based in Bury St Edmunds in the neighbouring constituency, said Mr Hancock's donation would "be used to help fund the care and support we provide".

"Without our community's kindness and generous support, we would struggle to keep our services going. Every gift we receive is a vital contribution, especially during these challenging times," it said.

"As is always the case, the decision on whether or not to publicly share further detail of their donation remains with individual supporters, and we respect their choice.

"We thank Mr Hancock for his support."

Media caption,

Watch: Boy George in tears over Matt Hancock's participation on reality show

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, external, Instagram, external and Twitter, external. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk, external

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.