Matt Hancock has said he did not “get away” with his lockdown-breaking affair.
The former health secretary was challenged over his illicit romance with Gina Coladangelo, his special advisor during the pandemic, by Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid.
Pressing Mr Hancock on the scandal, for which he resigned as health minister in 2021, Reid said “people find it remarkable” that he was not held to account for doing something that “most other people weren't allowed to do”.
Mr Hancock, who has remained an MP, and has since appeared on the reality TV show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, responded: “Well, it doesn’t feel like I got away with it, Susanna. Of course it wasn’t breaking the law, because the legal rules weren’t in place.”
Appearing on the breakfast show on Tuesday, Mr Hancock was confronted about the passionate embrace with Ms Codalangelo, now his partner, which came to light through leaked CCTV images.
.@susannareid100 questions @MattHancock on why he didn't follow his own guidelines during the pandemic.
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) January 31, 2023
The former Health Secretary says 'I'm only human' and 'we all have our frailties and I fell in love.' pic.twitter.com/yd1fwpfRf5
Reid said: “Can we focus first on the reason you left, and that was the embrace of your lover.
“Lots of people find it completely astonishing that you could stand at the podium month after month telling people to stick to the rules, but for some reason, they didn’t apply to you. Why not?”
'I'm only human'
Echoing an answer he gave on I’m a Celebrity, Mr Hancock said: “Well, I’m only human.”
Reid responded: “Sorry, the whole country is only human.”
“Yeh, I understand that,” said Mr Hancock.
He added: “This is what I’ve asked for forgiveness in the jungle for. I’m human, I’ve described in my book what happened and how it happened right at the end of the pandemic.
“But that isn't an excuse and that's why I've been open about it, I suppose. We all have our frailties, and I fell in love.”
Mr Hancock also insisted he did not "primarily" go on the show I'm A Celebrity for the money.
He described the 3 per cent of his £320,000 fee he donated to charity as a "decent sum,” adding that the £10,000 donation was "more than my MPs' salary" that he still received while appearing on the reality TV show in the Australian jungle.
Entering the show amid criticism from constituents and colleagues, Mr Hancock's team said he would be donating a portion of his appearance fee.
He revealed the sum he gave away to the St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and the British Dyslexia Association after official records showed his fee amounted to £320,000.
Mr Hancock said: "I didn't primarily do it for the money, I primarily did it to try to show who I am. I think £10,000 is actually a decent sum."
He confirmed he still received his MP salary while in the jungle, but said his donations were larger than that sum, which is around £7,000 per month.
The West Suffolk MP, who lost the Tory whip over the appearance, did concede that "of course there was a discussion and negotiation over the fee".
But he insisted that he "certainly would have considered" doing the programme for £10 and denied negotiations soared after he turned down initial offers.
