HANCOCK'S HALF HOUR
Matt Hancock sets up his own ‘TV company’ Greenhazel as shamed ex-Health Sec and I’m A Celeb star ‘plans doc series’
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MATT Hancock has set up his own media company - after appearances on two reality shows.
The former Health Secretary - forced to resign after The Sun revealed his affair which broke his own Covid rules - is the sole director of newly-formed Greenhazel.
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The private firm is listed on Companies House as undertaking "television programming and broadcasting activities" and could help him rake in more huge telly fees.
Sources close to Mr Hancock insist it is not a TV company and will be used for handling his own broadcast work.
The MP, who lost the Tory whip over his appearance on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, has already said he will stand down at the next general election.
His controversial stint in the Australian jungle earned him £320,000 last year, of which just £10,000 was donated to charity.
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He also took home £45,000 for taking part in Channel 4's Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The creation of Greenhazel, registered to an address in his constituency in Newmarket, West Suffolk, suggests Mr Hancock hopes for more television appearances.
This is rumoured to be as the presenter of "serious" documentaries about political issues such as assisted dying.
He was Health Secretary for almost three years but stepped down after his affair with aide Gina Coladangelo, whom he hired with taxpayers’ money as Covid gripped Britain, emerged in June 2021.
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The pair were caught kissing in his office, which broke pandemic guidance at the time.
Ms Coladangelo greeted Mr Hancock when he left the jungle in third place, losing out to Lioness Jill Scott and Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner in November.
She was also by his side in the audience of ITV's Dancing On Ice earlier this month.
His regular TV appearances even prompted BRIT Awards host Mo Gilligan to joke that his next venture would be Love Island during the February 11 ceremony.
"I've had a word with security, do not worry, Matt Hancock will not be here but you'll catch him on some show," the comedian said.
"He'll be on Casa Amor tomorrow night."
Mr Hancock's appearance on I'm a Celeb was criticised by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and other top Tories, as well as mocked by fellow MPs and the public.
Thousands of complaints were made to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom over his participation.
While in the jungle he also received a grilling from his campmates, including Culture Club singer Boy George and broadcaster Charlene White, about his behaviour during the pandemic.
The 44-year-old, who receives £84,144 annually as an MP, previously claimed he was entering the programme to raise awareness around dyslexia.
He insisted his motivation wasn't financial and announced that he would be making a donation to causes supporting the learning difficulty, as well as St Nicholas Hospice in Bury St Edmunds.
But Hancock donated just a fraction of his fee to the end-of-life care centre and the British Dyslexia Association.
His spokesperson said: "As well as raising the profile of his dyslexia campaign in front of 11 million viewers, Matt's donated £10,000 to St Nicholas Hospice in Suffolk and the British Dyslexia Association, off the back of his appearance on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here."
They did not confirm whether he plans to make any further donations.
His fee of £320,000 from Lifted Entertainment, ITV Studios, was listed on the MP's register of financial interests.
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This also showed that he had been paid £48,000 for an interview and the serialisation of his book The Pandemic Diaries in two newspapers.
Mr Hancock, who ate a camel's penis and was covering in creepy crawlies on the show, is due to give evidence to an inquiry into the Government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in the summer.
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