MATT HANCOCK - WHY?

[thousandwhispers]

Sorry, I know this is total drivel but .... last night I saw that Matt Hancock was in the final of 'SAS Who Dares Wins.' There were 3 in the final. They all managed the last task but the woman (not sure who she was) couldn't hang from the bridge, so she didn't win because they said unfortunately, she just wasn't physically up to it. MH did hang off the bridge for about a minute, but the assessor said that, despite the fact MH had got through all the challenges over the weeks, if it was a war, he would need to trust the person fighting next to him. So he didn't put MH through on that basis. Or that was the impression I had? They put Gareth Gates through who looked like he'd done very well, but he only hung on to the bridge for ten more seconds than MH. But, I'm sure they will often put two or more people through. They just didn't like MH on a personal level, basically.

My question is, what is the thought process with MH? What's going on there? You would think he'd keep a low profile, but not only has he been on this show, he was on 'I'm a Celeb, Get Me Out' this year and I'm sure I saw him doing interviews promoting a book. Who is advising him? Is he trying to ingratiate himself with the public? What is the point? Surely he doesn't need the money?

I find him quite weird overall, in a way I can't put my finger on, and expect to see him on Bake Off, or basically anything that will have him, for years to come.

I feel a bit uncomfortable watching him as it feels too desperate. AIBU?

YANBU, he is deeply strange. He is standing down as an MP at the next election and his book didn’t sell all that well. He definitely needs the money and is attempting to rehabilitate his image in the hope of keeping the cash coming in.

His cover story recounting was top notch but when it got to the point he needed to let his guard down a bit with the negotiators he just couldn't let tham have the last word which if they were real life war baddies would probably have wound them up a lot. I'd have him on my team on the physical challenges, to be fair to him he got stuck in and did pretty well but he just couldn't get over himself when it came to negotiating his way round being a hostage.

You knew he was one of the contestants, you should have voted with the off button.

The place Matt Hancock should be is in a court charged with corporate manslaughter.

He filmed sas before doing I sm a celebrity.
I think he is probably doing it for money and general goodwill.

I thought he came across okay in both shows. Smug yes but throw himself into everything and did pretty well on both shows -particularly challenges on I am a celebrity.

I saw the clip of his 'interrogation' interview on that programme and I cringed my sphincter inside out'

'Why are you here?'

MH - 'I've been through something really big'

'What was that?'

MH 'Well, I handled the pandemic, din't I?'

He was trying to be all deadpan and manly.

OP, I'd imagine these programmes pay really well. That's why he does it. £100K or whatever for three weeks in the Australian jungle followed by similar for a few weeks in Vietnam for the SAS programme. And he probably wants to be liked by the public. A lot of these politicians are needy feckers.

I should think he does need the money. He's had a fairly serious pay cut now that he is no longer a Cabinet Minister and he and his ex-wife (or the wife he is separated from - I'm not sure if they are divorced) have three children. He's said that he is planning to step down as an MP at the next election but I don't know whether he will - if he's unelectable, he may have no choice.

Huge ego, desperate to be liked, needs the money.

He's probably seen the way ex politicians like Ed Balls and Michael Portillo have carved out lucrative media careers for themselves and fancies doing the same.

He's trying to rebrand himself a la Ed Miliband/Ed Balls. Apparently he couldn't get an agent, don't know if that's true, but I don't think he'll be a high profile figure in a couple of years. I am sure he needs the money. Loathsome man.

He needs the money and will sell himself at any opportunity to get it. Desperation. Not a nice person.

His children must have been very upset and embarrassed, given the way his affair came out publicly. I noticed on 'I'm a Celeb' he was the only one actually with children whose kids didn't send him a message while he was in there. You would think he'd want to keep things more low profile, for their sakes, rather than keep putting himself out there all the time.

As a divorced, soon-to-be unemployed father of 3 young children I’m sure Hancock is doing reality TV because he needs the money. He was a a career politician, and as such earned a decent salary but not a fortune, and only a small fraction of what people of equivalent seniority earn in the private sector.

This usually doesn’t matter, because ex-ministers can cash in by taking up lucrative consultancies, directorships, media careers etc after they leave government, but Hancock’s character & reputation has been so comprehensively trashed that he will be untouchable by corporates. So he’s got to cash in while he can.

I thought he came across quite well. But I don't have any axe to grind with him, other than that he was one of the idiots who thought that lockdown was a good policy.

Wasn't he described in the recent inquiry as having "nuclear levels" of self confidence?

He is an odd mix of tone deaf arrogance and desperate neediness.

Even without the pandemic, this is a very off putting character.

I don’t think it’s the money so much as some deep seated emotional need for attention and validation, common in boarding school kids (and I speak from a lifetime of trying to unpick this in myself). While there are some companies that wouldn’t publicly touch him with a barge pole, he could still very, very easily move to private sector or corporate public speaking for handsome sums too. That’s how most disgraced politicians continue their lavish upkeep, and again speaking from having witnessed this personally (edit in response to PP: in multiple politicians with worse reputational damage than MH. The only reason you get such a damning impression of him as untouchable bottom of the barrel now is because of all his parading around unclothed on TV like a half naked pasty worm)

He's a huge prat. Surely they have only put him through to the final because it makes good TV

My DDs call him Hatt Mancock!

Well, if he's single now, he could go on MAFS next year.......

I refuse to watch anything with him in for entertainment after what he did. I won’t give him my time, money or attention which is desperately what he craves - it’s very sad.

I don't think he came across well at all. The "staff" on SAS WDW often change their views on people over the series but they clearly didn't warm to MH in the slightest. He did really well physically but fancied himself something chronic, legend in his own opinion, desperate for everyone to agree he was treated unfairly, doesn't understand why he has faced such criticism, no accountability for his own actions. Really unlikeable human being. At least that's how he came across to me.

He'll be on Strictly next time. Anything that will have him.

Isn't he still shacked up with that former Civil Servant Gina Colladangelo?

Wasn't his affair with her during the pandemic the nail in the coffin for his marriage?

I always wonder what his gf was thinking, her husband was nice looking chap who ran a business. MH is a dweeb who models himself on Alan partridge.

Did he also say that he would give the money for 'I'm a Celeb' to a dyslexia charity (because he claimed to be going in the show to promote this cause) - and then he didn't give them anything?

but the assessor said that, despite the fact MH had got through all the challenges over the weeks, if it was a war, he would need to trust the person fighting next to him. So he didn't put MH through on that basis

I mean, if he can lie to his wife, I'm sure he'd have no problem lying to any one else.

No integrity at all.