I’m Famous… Get Me Out Of Here! Ant and Dec, the show’s hosts, have urged that the ITV show take a break from placing politicians in the jungle.
Dec responded on Instagram to a question about if Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was a potential future campmate, saying, “I think we do a year without any politicians.”
Ant said, “Agreed, agreed, agreed,” according to the Daily Mail.
Former MEP Nigel Farage will appear on the show this year, while former health secretary Matt Hancock appeared last year.
When asked about the presenting duo’s remarks, ITV declined to comment.
The two, real names Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, made the remarks on Saturday during an Instagram livestream with fans, according to the Mail.
Farage is the latest political figure to appear on the show, following Hancock last year.
Both have sparked debate by appearing in the jungle.
I’m a celebrity, and I apologize for like the ‘offensive’ comment.
Who exactly is Nigel Farage?
I’m A Celebrity: Viewing figures are down by two million.
Nigel Farage, who will earn £1.5 million for his participation, entered the jungle claiming to be “a hero” to some and “an absolute villain” to millions of others.
“In the jungle, you’re going to find the real me,” the former Ukip and Brexit Party leader promised viewers.
On several times, his fellow campmates have questioned his political convictions.
Nella Rose, a YouTube personality and influencer, accused him early in the series of being anti-immigrant, saying the former lawmaker wanted people like her “gone” from the UK.
“Are you anti-immigrant?” “No, no, all I’ve said is that we cannot continue with the numbers that are coming to Britain,” Farage said.
Another competitor, First Dates star Fred Sirieix, chastised him for a banner he used in his campaign for the UK to exit the European Union during the 2016 referendum.
Sirieix called Farage’s “demonization of migrants” “shameful.”
“In your opinion, it was, but it wasn’t,” Farage responded.
Meanwhile, Hancock’s debut on I’m a Celeb last year sparked outrage.
He was suspended as a Conservative MP when party leaders objected to his choice to participate in a reality TV show while Parliament was in session.
Hancock, who finished third and advanced to the jungle final, defended his decision to abandon his constituency, saying he wanted to raise awareness of dyslexia and demonstrate that politicians are normal humans.
According to the register of MPs’ financial interests, he was paid £320,000 for his participation.
Others who have spent time in the jungle include Robert Kilroy-Silk in 2008, Nadine Dorries in 2012, Edwina Currie in 2014, and Kezia Dugdale and Stanley Johnson in 2017.
So far, this year’s series has attracted a smaller audience than previous year’s.
While the previous series’ premiere episode drew nearly 12 million viewers, this year’s premiere has only drawn seven million viewers in its first week.
