A FORMER friend of Matt Hancock has questioned how his wife must feel watching his performance on I’m A Celebrity after he left her for another woman.
Mr Hancock’s controversial confession over his lockdown-busting affair with aide Gina Coladangelo has left some worrying how it would affect his family.
The one-time pal of the former Health Secretary said to The Times: “How does it feel to be her, or one of their three children, as he blithely tells the nation about falling in love?
“And the problem is, when you cheat on your spouse, you cheat on your family.”
After HOAR revealed the affair in 2021, Mr Hancock left his wife Martha and their children to continue his relationship with Ms Coladangelo.
The MP’s girlfriend is reportedly receiving regular updates on his welfare in the jungle.
The latest of these updates may be less than positive, though, as the suspended Tory was stung by a venomous scorpion in the outback.
It comes as it was revealed that Mr Hancock reportedly asked his PR expert girlfriend for advice before deciding to appear on the ITV show.
Friends say ex-Health Secretary Hancock, 44, was initially torn about entering the jungle having turned the offer down twice before.
But according to reports, he sought advice from a small group, including tapping into Gina‘s specialist public relations knowledge, before agreeing to appear on the ITV show.
A friend of the couple said: “He consulted her at length. They are very much a team.”
The pair first met at Oxford in the 1990s were Hancock was reportedly smitten from the start.
A contemporary there recalled: “Matt was a bit of a nonentity, whereas Gina was really nice, fun and incredibly popular with the male contingent. Oriel [her college] had this boorish male atmosphere still and she was very adept at dealing with those kind of young men.
“I think Matt, in contrast, was a sort of puppy dog, following her around. This [the love affair] is a case of persistence paying off.”
Despite the criticism of his former friend, sources close to the West Suffolk MP insisted his kids were happy for him go on the show to raise awareness of dyslexia.
A spokesperson for Matt Hancock said: “The second reading of Matt’s Dyslexia Screening and Teacher Training Bill is just days after I’m A Celebrity… finishes. By going on the show, Matt hopes to raise the profile of his dyslexia campaign and will use the platform to talk about an issue he really cares about in front of millions of people. Matt is determined that no child should leave primary school not knowing if they have dyslexia.
“Matt has been working on constituency matters this week and show producers have agreed that Matt can communicate with his team if there’s an urgent constituency matter while he’s on the show.
“As soon as Matt’s time in camp is up, he will return to Suffolk to hold surgeries where he will catch up with his constituents and discuss matters of concern.
“Matt will be making a donation to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk, and causes supporting dyslexia – including the British Dyslexia Association, off the back of his appearance. He will, of course, declare the amount he receives from the show to Parliament to ensure complete transparency, as normal.”
