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I’m A Celeb’s Matt Hancock could be ruled out of doing Bushtucker Trials as he battles secret health condition
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I'M A Celebrity's Matt Hancock could miss out on doing Bushtucker Trials after suffering from a secret health condition.
The Tory MP is the bookies' favourite to break the all-time trial record of seven held by music producer Naughty Boy - and viewers have made it clear they're desperate to vote for Matt to do nasty challenges.
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But they might not get the chance to make the former Health Secretary suffer after all, as we can reveal that Matt got trench foot while filming Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins and it might not have cleared up.
A source said: "When he was filming SAS Who Dares Wins in October, Matt got trench foot - in fact, a lot of the cast did. It can take up to six months to recover from that, so any water-based tasks or swimming trials would be bad news for his feet."
ITV have been contacted for comment.
Trench foot happens when feet are wet for long periods of time.
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The condition, which varies in severity, can be painful but often clears up in one to three days.
However, if ignored it can take up to six months to get rid of symptoms such as itching, painful skin, blisters and feelings of numbness and heaviness.
Matt's keen to push on with his jungle stint in a bid to raise awareness around dyslexia, which he suffers from, and to show a human side to politicians.
Writing in today's Sun, he insisted he hadn't "lost his marbles" after his signing raised eyebrows among public and his colleagues in Westminster.
The MP swiftly had the whip removed by the Conservative Party when it was announced he was taking part.
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He wrote: "Some may think I’ve lost my marbles or had one too many drinks, swapping the comfortable surroundings of Westminster and West Suffolk for the extreme conditions of the Australian outback, going where there will be few creature comforts, not enough food, and a load of physical tasks involving snakes, spiders and plenty of other creepy-crawlies.
"While there will undoubtedly be those who think I shouldn’t go, I think it’s a great opportunity to talk directly to people who aren’t always interested in politics, even if they care very much about how our country’s run."
Meanwhile a source close to Matt said he's not going to shy away from any challenges that come his way.
The ally said: "Matt loves a challenge and he won't let anything put him off. He’ll throw himself into all the trials and tasks while on the show and he'll definitely give it his best shot.
"This is an amazing opportunity to engage with the public and talk about issues he really cares about - including his dyslexia campaign.
What is trench foot?
Trench foot, also known as immersion foot, is caused when feet are wet for prolonged periods of time.
Symptoms include: tingling and itching, pain, swelling, blisters, excess dead skin, cold and blotchy skin, numbness, and a prickly or heavy feeling in the foot.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention advises: "When possible, air-dry and elevate your feet, and exchange wet shoes and socks for dry ones to help prevent the development of trench foot."
In order to treat the condition, the organisation suggests cleaning and drying feet, change socks daily and soak the affected area in warm water for five minutes.
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"Matt is still working on constituency matters and will continue to do so up until he goes into the jungle. Producers have agreed that Matt can communicate with his team throughout the show if there's an urgent constituency matter.
"Matt will also be making a donation to St Nicholas Hospice in his constituency and causes supporting dyslexia, off the back of his appearance."
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