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His handling of the pandemic made Matt Hancock one of the most hated political villains ever.
So when viewers see ex-Premier League footballer Jermaine Pennant take on the former Health Secretary in a battle next week in the upcoming military series Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, there’s only one man who will leave most of Britain will applaud.
The two contestants face off in a boxing match on the Channel 4 show, which involves punching each other non-stop for a minute, with the winner decided by Special Forces experts.
Hancock, 44, will be seen on the ground after the failure, despite putting up a tough fight throughout the series, which was filmed last year in Ninh Binh, Vietnam.
Afterwards Pennant, who was jailed for drink-driving in 2005, told the Mail he ‘wouldn’t be able to walk down the street again’ if he lost the one-on-one battle against Hancock.
Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock meets his match in the new series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins as he takes on ex-footballer Jermaine Pennant
The two contestants go head to head (or at least fist to fist) in a boxing match in the opening episode of the Channel 4 show
Hancock throws a punch at the ex-winger before he is tackled to the muddy ground during filming of the SAS show in Vietnam last year
The MP will appear alongside former glamor model Danielle Lloyd as he attempts to complete the grueling SAS-style selection process
He added that despite being knocked to the ground, his view of the MP has still not changed.
Pennant said, “You have an opinion about him and once you go in there you leave it where it is, and once you get out your opinion goes back to where it was.”
Hancock will appear alongside former glamor model Danielle Lloyd, 39, TOWIE’s Amber Turner, 30, and singer Gareth Gates, 39, as he attempts to complete the grueling SAS-style selection process.
During the first episode, which airs next Tuesday at 9:30 p.m., you’ll also see Hancock walking across two parallel metal bars suspended 50 feet above the ground.
After failing to complete the task, his tame effort is compared to ‘Cirque du Soleil’ and the director’s staff labels him a ‘complete and utter buffoon’.
Hancock later undergoes a psychological critique from former military officers, Jason Fox and Chris Oliver, about why he wanted to appear on the show.
During the intense conversation, he admitted regret over his lack of “leadership skills” after being caught having an affair with his aide Gina Coladangelo, but insists he has done a good job as health minister during the pandemic.
Hancock said: “I want to push myself. I experienced something very big; It didn’t end the way I wanted…’
The Channel 4 series is Hancock’s second notable TV appearance since he resigned as Health Secretary for breaching Covid-19 guidelines after also starring in I’m A Celeb
He claims he took part in the show because he wanted to ‘test the limits’ and ‘see how deep I can dig’
TOWIE’s Amber Turner, former Love Island contestants Montana Brown and Teddy Sears, singer Gareth Gates and model Melinda Messenger are among the recruits taking part
Former rugby player Gareth Thomas, singer Siva Kaneswaran, Liberty X star Michelle Heaton and athlete Perri Shakes-Drayton are also in the line-up
When asked what Jason Fox was referring to, Hancock replied: “I’ve dealt with the pandemic, haven’t I?”
He continued: ‘It was the greatest experience of my life… it would be difficult to see a greater professional experience than being Minister of Health during a pandemic. I’ve pushed myself to my limits in the past, but I want to push the limits… see how deep I can dig.
“I was dealing with a very difficult situation professionally… thought I had done a pretty good job… I fell in love with someone I had known since college and worked closely with during the pandemic, and I had to resign from the government.
‘The truth is that I was very careful not to break any law, but what I didn’t think was that there were still guidelines, which were not legally binding at the time, but it was still the guidelines that we issued. Ultimately, I regret the lack of leadership.”
And in a typical display of arrogance, he claims he would be able to handle the pressure put on him by the show’s intimidating Directors Staff, the four ex-military men who oversee the brutal challenges.
Former TOWIE star James Argent is among the recruits taking on the challenge in this series after his battle with addiction
Hancock said: “I’ve seen pressure, so what I’m dealing with on this track is water off a duck’s back.
“I’ve been in some of the most stressful situations you can imagine. In those really high-pressure moments, I hope I can draw on what I’ve experienced.
‘I’m quite used to a hostile environment. Politics has inherent hostility built into it. I’ve had my share of hostility.’
The Channel 4 series, which runs for seven weeks, is Hancock’s second notable TV appearance since he resigned as health secretary for breaching Covid-19 guidelines he introduced after starring in I’ last year. m A Celebrity… Get Me Out from Here!
During his time in the Australian jungle, Hancock was stung by a scorpion and ate a camel’s penis and a sheep’s vagina, completing the show’s famous Bush Tucker Trials.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins starts on Channel 4 on Tuesday at 9.30pm