Peter Andre: Matt Hancock is in for a tough ride on I'm A Celebrity (exclusive)

Pop star Peter Andre writes exclusively for Yahoo about I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 2022

Seeing the excitement on Ant and Dec’s faces as they shouted “Welcome back to I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!” surrounded by Australian jungle felt reassuring — like life is back to normal again.

I’ve always said those guys are the kings of what they do — in times when the line-up hasn’t been superb, they carry the show. But they’ve actually got a really exciting cast this year and I can’t wait to see what unfolds.

Peter Andre on Matt Hancock

Life might seem back to normal but the shadow of Matt Hancock hanging over that camp is a big reminder of all the hurt that people have been through during the coronavirus pandemic.

Does he really believe he’s going to save his reputation by taking part?! It’s a great show for displaying your personality — but that’s based on the fact people actually want to see your personality. People have lost loved ones, they are still angry about COVID.

Read more: Every winner of I'm A Celebrity so far

Now although I didn't see my parents for two years because they were on the other side of the world and I couldn’t travel, we have to remember the millions of people whose elderly parents lived just down the road — and they weren’t able to visit them either. It’s still very raw.

So he could come across as a really nice guy — it’s irrelevant. What can he say in his defence?

Peter Andre on the trials of the jungle

Can you believe it’s been 18 years since I did the show? But when I see the celebs walking into camp for the first time, it all comes rushing back to me — even the smell. Smell has such a strong link to the memory and when I see that red telephone box surrounded by the bush and hammocks, I can smell the fire burning and the overpowering damp of tropical storms brewing in their air.

I’m from the Gold Coast of Australia which is only about an hour from the jungle, and it’s Tropical Season — which brings all the spiders and snakes and other critters creeping into the camp to keep warm. There’s a reason why they film the show this time of year!

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The hardest trials you can take part in will be whatever you have a phobia of. For me it is heights and spiders and when I saw them walking on that plank it looked terrifying. Perhaps I had a lucky escape because jumping out of a plane was one of the things I didn't have to do.

So I really felt for Babatúndé Aléshé when he said ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here’ so soon on that plank. He’ll probably get slated for doing it and get voted for more trials. But I think I would have done the same!

He showed that we are all human and can't always push ourselves to the limit.

Peter Andre's favourites so far

Apparently, Mike Tindall is already the bookies’ favourite to win the show. But I have a thumbs up for Chris Moyles. When I was on the show back in 2004 Chris campaigned for 'Mysterious Girl' to be rereleased and he took it back to number one. So of course I feel I owe him one!

And Boy George is going to be amazing. I like his banter. He knows if he jokes about his diva-ness, he makes it cool. He said he was sick and tired of sitting in a corner being iconic — and then he laughed. It’s likeable. I've met him many times and always got on great. So good luck George!

I think it’s hard to call the winner so early on, because you find a lot of the people who come out fighting settle down by the second week and the quiet ones come out of their shell.

Peter Andre on what it's really like on I'm A Celebrity

What a lot of people forget about I’m A Celebrity is, unlike other reality shows, they don’t ply you with alcohol. That first night is a bit of a buzz but there’s no clocks or watches, you have no idea what time it is. You go to sleep when it’s dark and you wake up with the sun and it’s probably 4am.

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It’s very bizarre and the days feel so long. And it’s hard to explain how real hunger feels if you haven’t experienced it. So you start to lose your inhibitions not because you’ve lost control through alcohol but because you’re exhausted, starving and disorientated, and that brings out your true personality in my opinion.

It’s animalistic. It’s survival instinct.

Matt Hancock may not be the real focus at the moment. But he is setting himself up for a really tough time. Even if the other celebrities want to avoid confrontation, there will inevitably be some kind of stand-off.

He has admitted he has done wrong, and a lot of people are very angry.

It may just become the Matt Hancock show.

Pop star Peter Andre is writing exclusively for Yahoo about I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 2022.

Watch: Vanessa Feltz shares her thoughts on Boy George in the jungle