Matt Hancock snarled at me when I joked about Thatcher – I thought ‘he’s got no sense of humour’, says Boy George

BOY George laughed off Matt Hancock’s public justification for going on I’m A Celebrity, saying: “Don’t believe anything he says about why he did it.”

The West Suffolk MP, 44 — who this week announced he is to step down at the next election after being axed from the Tory party — claimed he signed up in a bid to deliver “important messages to the masses”.

But pop icon George, 61, brushed off his former campmate’s reasoning — saying he found it “impossible” to believe the reasons Matt gave publicly.

And he said: “He did it because he wants to kick up his heels and have a good time.”

The Karma Chameleon superstar went on to reveal how he:

• WAS left in tears after Matt brought back memories of his mum’s being hospitalised alone;
• CALLED the MP a coward in jest after he refused to join a camp mutiny;
• WAS amused when Matt “snarled” at him after a jibe over Margaret Thatcher’s handbags;
• TRIED to provoke him into giving his views on nuclear arms and transgender issues.

Asked about Matt’s reasoning for joining the show, George said: “We all know that politicians are real people.

“We also know everyone wants to be a rock star, everybody. Especially politicians.

“So it’s impossible to believe some people’s reasons for doing something. Ultimately, they are doing it for a bigger profile, a bit more attention, hopefully showing people a different side.

“Matt . . . he’s a Libra, and Librans love the spotlight.” Smiling, he continued: “They love the good life. They’ll elbow you out of the way for a seat on the jet. They like luxury.

“So don’t believe anything Matt says about why he did I’m A Celebrity this year. He did it because he wants to kick up his heels and have a good time.”

Former Health Secretary Matt — who has also filmed episodes for Celeb SAS: Who Dares Wins — found himself at the centre of a public storm when he revealed he was to take part in the ITV show.

The MP, who was exposed flouting his own advice when The Sun pictured him embracing mistress Gina Coladangelo, later told stunned campmates he wanted to show that “politicians are human”.

But George believes Matt was more consumed by remaining self-controlled and “keeping his edges soft” for the public than showing his real personality.

Still, he told how the “surprisingly naive” MP suffered repeated sense of humour failures in camp.

And he revealed he has seen a different side to him recently when he stumbled across a video of him apparently pretending to cry during the pandemic.

He said: “In life who do you really see? You see a version people want you to see. And though reality TV is exposing, you don’t get the full weight of a person.

“But, there are a few things I’ve seen since I’ve been out. Like a YouTube video where he pretended to cry, that was . . . it was like ‘wow’. I was like: ‘That is unbelievable.’

That said, I’ve been in the business for a long time, and I’ve encountered so many different types of people, all with their own way of coping with being in the spotlight.

“And no one on the show was dislikeable, even Matt. He isn’t direct — there were lots of things he avoided — but I wasn’t surprised by that.

“I asked him about nuclear arms, he didn’t want to go there, trans, he didn’t want to go there — though he wasn’t anti-trans which was good.”

He admits: “I was being provocative. I wanted to see if I could get through to him.

“I was like: ‘Come on tell me who you are’ and he managed to avoid a lot of those things, which frustrated people.

“It wasn’t our job to put right what Matt has done. With him, a lot of people were angry and upset, with every reason to be.”

George, whose mother Dinah O’Dowd was admitted to hospital twice during lockdown, understands this well.

He was seen breaking down after Matt turned up in the camp — admitting that if his mum had died, there is no way he would have remained on the show.

And he revealed how seeing Matt brought back the “traumatic” moment he realised he wouldn’t be able to be with her while she was ill.

He said: “It happened twice, but the first was the worst because we were in strict lockdown. I was like: ‘F*** it, I’m going anyway’.

“It was my sister Siobhain who said: ‘You can’t. They will not let you in.’

“It was very upsetting and traumatic. And I was talking about it in there, and then I saw him and I thought this is the perfect moment to say something.

“But I was amazed how calm he was, he did not flinch.

“I told him to his face that I thought he should have just apologised for what he did, and not given the ‘guidance’ technicality, because no one cares about that.

“But at that point I was like: ‘I’ve said what I’ve got to say, he’s a person with kids, with a partner and I was very conscious of that.’

“I didn’t bully him. In spite of everything, I didn’t want him to have a horrible time in the camp.”

And he told how he was left in stitches after one conversation with Matt — in which the MP begged him not to revolt.

He said: “It was hilarious. We had lost out on a bit of chocolate, and I was really hungry, so I said: ‘Let’s have a mutiny, let’s all take our mics off and say: ‘Give us the chocolate or the show’s over.’

“Matt was begging: ‘No, they tried that on Coach Trip, and everyone got fired.”

“I was like: “Matt, this is not Coach Trip, do you know how much it costs to make this show?! They can’t fire us all . . . the coward.

“There was another time when he had a sense of humour failure too, I had asked him what his specialist subject would be on Mastermind.

“He paused, and I said: ‘Margaret Thatcher’s handbags?’ He really snarled at me and I thought: ‘Oh he’s got no sense of humour’. But he was self-deprecating at times.”