Favourite Jill Scott wins this year’s I’m a Celebrity, with Matt Hancock third

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Jill Scott has been crowned queen of the jungle after winning I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! on Sunday night.

The former England footballer, 35, who was the bookies’ favourite to triumph, accrued the most votes from the public, with actor Owen Warner finishing second after both spent 23 days in camp.

Former health secretary MP Matt Hancock finished in third place.

In a public vote on the final night of the programme, the former health secretary got the least support, leaving Jill Scott and Owen Warner as the two remaining contestants.

Scott was given her floral crown by former England rugby player Mike Tindall, who was eliminated from the programme on Saturday.

With all her fellow campmates watching, Scott took to her throne and after learning that 12 million people had voted, she said: “I think I’m going to owe my grandma a lot of money for the 12 million votes.”

Hancock will return to face questions about his future in Westminster. His 18 days in the Australian jungle prompted his suspension from the Conservative parliamentary party and criticism by colleagues including Rishi Sunak.

The prime minister said he was “very disappointed” in his colleague’s decision to leave behind his constituents to appear on the reality show.

Campaigners from the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group also criticised his appearance, for a fee of reportedly ?400,000.

Hancock told presenters Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly that he acknowledged entering the programme was “controversial”.

He said: “I know that it was controversial me coming here, I know some people said people in your position shouldn’t put themselves in embarrassing situations.

“But we’re all human and we all put ourselves in it.”

He added: “I just wanted to show what I’m like as a person, lots of people come to me with preconceived ideas for lots of reasons. And I just wanted to be myself.”

With the Conservative whip removed, the currently Independent MP could be stopped from running again for parliament in West Suffolk.

Tory MPs have been given until 5 December to decide whether they want to stand again, after which the party may choose a new candidate for his safe seat.

Hancock, Scott and Warner earned their place in the final on Saturday after Mike Tindall became the eighth celebrity to be eliminated.

In the final episode of the 2022 series, the trio had to undertake their final bushtucker trials in an attempt to win a starter, main course and dessert of their choice as well as drinks and treats.

For the first time the celebrities were able to watch one another attempt to complete the challenges, with Scott taking on the first trial where she lay in a box infested with rats and cockroaches and had to release the stars using her tongue.

Warner, 23, was up next for a trial in which he would win main courses for himself and his campmates if he managed to eat a selection of five unconventional dishes including a fermented duck egg and a camel’s testicle.

Hancock took on the final trial, Flood Your Face, in which the MP had his head enclosed in a tank of water, while wearing a snorkel to breathe, for five minutes, as various critters were added around his face including eels, yabbies and water spiders.

The trio successfully completed each of their challenges and earned all the available stars.

Each of the campmates were rewarded with their tailor-made three course meals, with Hancock opting for garlic prawns, followed by steak and chips with a mozzarella side salad.

Warner chose a calamari starter with a quadruple stack beefburger with cheese and bacon and chips for his main course, while Scott opted for prawn cocktail to start followed by a traditional beef Sunday dinner with gravy and yorkshire pudding and a cheese board for dessert.