Conservative politician Matt Hancock, 46, appeared on the ITV show back in 2022, finishing in third place behind Owen Warner and Jill Scott in first.

The former Health Secretary, who has lost his Tory whip, faced widespread backlash from the start – given his high-profile role in the coronavirus pandemic.

But before joining up with his campmates, the Daily Mail reported that he received ‘special treatment’ during his isolation period.

Hancock was reportedly given access to a computer to respond to urgent work emails.

The use of his laptop was said to have been monitored, as he was allegedly not allowed to contact loved ones at home.

“As an MP, my first priority is to my constituents. I have agreed with the show’s producers that I can be reached at any point on any urgent constituency matters,” the politician wrote in The Sun.

His phone and laptop would reportedly be used to speak to his personal adviser on Zoom, despite fellow contestants not being given the same privileges.

“Matt has been given a different arrangement during his isolation period to the other contestants. He has been allowed his phone and laptop so that he can carry on working and keep in touch with his constituents,” a source told the Mail.

Though an ITV spokesperson told The Mirror that contact with the outside world was not allowed unless there was an emergency.

“You are correct to say that celebs cannot speak to the outside world at all unless there are exceptional circumstances ie. an emergency,” they said.

Hancock finished in third place (ITV)

This comes after hosts Ant and Dec opened up about what it was like to work with Hancock in the jungle.

“I think it’s very difficult not to [feel that way],” Dec told Huffington Post.

“We were all affected by decisions that he made and situations he created, so it was very, very difficult.

“But we tried incredibly hard to be impartial and to put that to one side. And I hope we did it.”

Ant agreed that all of the celebrities that sign up to take on the jungle usually come with some form of ‘baggage’, but it’s essential that he and Dec treat them all equally.

“It doesn’t matter who you are,” he explained.

“Boy George did. Matt Hancock did. Probably all of the campmates [last] year came with a history.

I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! once had a particularly special smoking rule which only ever applied to one contestant.

The latest crop of famous and sort-of famous faces to take on the jungle challenge are currently Down Under, leaving may people wondering what life is actually like in the camp.

Do the celebrities act up for the camera when they’re in the infamous jungle shower? And why do they always have to wear the famous red socks?

Turns out there’s all sorts of behind-the-secrets going on, for example did you know the camp in Springbrook National Park apparently has a ‘special’ roof which protects campmates from a torrential downpour? No, we didn’t either.

Celebrities who smoke are another minefield for producers; the network doesn’t want to be accused of promoting an unhealthy habit, which means our campmates will have a lot of restrictions placed on when and where they can light up.

However, there was one star who was apparently able to leverage his legendary status to gain some special treatment regarding smoking breaks.

This particular honour was given to Shane Warne, who competed on the second season of the Australian version of I’m a Celeb back in 2016.

The piece of trivia was revealed by co-host Dr Chris Brown during an interview on Jase and Lauren’s on KIIS FM show back in 2023.

He claimed: “There’s rules for Warnie and there’s rules for everyone else. No one else has ever got the privileges that Warnie got.”

Warne, who was known to be a heavy smoker and spoke openly about his nicotine addiction, was given special ‘smoko’ breaks during his time in the jungle, according to Brown.

“He is the only one that has ever been able to have special Warnie time,” the I’m A Celeb host said.

The late cricketer would eventually make it until day 41 and finished in fifth place after being eliminated from the camp – which is in South Africa for the Aussie version.

Warne had been open about his relationship with smoking over the years, previously revealing that he signed a $200,000 deal with nicotine substitute manufacturer Nicorette to quit smoking for four months – only to be caught lighting up months before the deal was due to end.

The late Australian cricket legend had been open about his relationship with smoking (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

“I had one cigarette in the West Indies and the Nicorette people know about that,” he admitted at the time, as per The Age.

“It was late at night when I had had a night out with the lads. I was very disappointed at having it and hopefully I can still try to kick the habit. It’s been a bloody lot harder than I thought.”

Warne would pass away suddenly in 2022 from a heart attack while on holiday in Thailand. He was just 52 years old.

LADbible previously approached ITV Australia for comment.

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