Matt Hancock sees his followers on TikTok soar after I'm A Celebrity

TikTok’s unlikely new sensation: Former Health secretary Matt Hancock sees his followers on the social media site soar after his I’m A Celebrity… appearance – with more than half under the age of 24

• The former Health Secretary has more than 180,000 followers on the platform
• Friends say social-media exposure is a way to show the ‘man behind the podium’
• Read: BRIT host says Hancock ‘is not here but he’ll be on Casa Amor tomorrow’

It’s the social-media phenomenon that has attracted A-list celebrities such as Will Smith, Justin Bieber and Victoria Beckham.

Now TikTok has an unlikely new sensation: Matt Hancock.

The former Health Secretary has more than 180,000 followers on the platform, with over half of them under the age of 24, most of whom are women.

Hancock, who became a household name preaching Covid regulations from behind a podium during the pandemic, resigned from the Cabinet in 2021 in disgrace after he was pictured in a clinch with his aide Gina Coladangelo, in breach of lockdown rules.

But his popularity ratings took an unexpected upturn when he came third on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! late last year.

His friends say he sees social-media exposure as a way to show the public ‘the man behind the podium’ and he turns to his support staff for help in making his clips. One said: ‘Matt is keen to communicate with people of all ages and from all backgrounds. TikTok can be very tongue-in-cheek and the perfect way to reach a different audience.’

The former health secretary Matt Hancock (pictured with girlfriend Gina Colangelo) has more than 180,000 followers on the platform. Over half of Hancock’s TikTok followers are under the age of 24, most of whom are women

His friends say he sees social-media exposure as a way to show the public ‘the man behind the podium’ and he turns to his support staff for help in making his clips

A TikTok clip of Hancock talking about being a Newcastle United fan pulled in more than three million views, while a video of him enjoying a night out with his jungle co-stars Boy George and Seann Walsh attracted 2.9 million.

One of his main strategies is to answer questions his followers ask him. Last week, more than 360,000 users of the social-media site watched Hancock iron a white shirt after his fans told him that he was often seen wearing creased clothing. As he ironed the shirt, Hancock, 44, who will stand down as an MP at the next General Election, says: ‘Thanks for all the feedback, yes the shirts have been a bit creased so here goes.’

Hancock also posted a clip from the filming of ITV show Dancing On Ice, where he was watching his celebrity friends take part and meeting host Holly Willoughby

A friend said: ‘Matt is keen to communicate with people of all ages and from all backgrounds. TikTok can be very tongue-in-cheek and the perfect way to reach a different audience.’

After putting it on, he said: ‘Perfect.’ Alongside the video, he wrote: ‘Hoping to de-crease the number of comments I get about my un-ironed shirts.’

Nearly 900 people commented on the clip, with a fan saying ‘God, it’s Sunday night and I’m watching an MP iron a shirt’, while another wrote: ‘I love Matt Hancock xxx.’

Hancock also posted a clip from the filming of ITV show Dancing On Ice, where he was watching his celebrity friends take part and meeting host Holly Willoughby.

Last week, he revealed to followers that his favourite drink was a Negroni cocktail, saying: ‘Vermouth, Campari and gin on the rocks, little slice of orange… delicious!’

Hancock, who will be seen on Channel 4 show Celebrity SAS Who Dares Wins this year, also admitted that what he won’t miss about being an MP was ‘the backstabbing, and everybody slagging everybody off’.

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