Matt Hancock is given hilarious new nickname by Jason Fox on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins after saying his resilience was tested on the show

Matt Hancock was given a hilarious new nickname by Jason ‘Foxy’ Fox on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins on Tuesday.

The former health secretary, 44, is one of 16 celebrities taking part in the latest series of the gruelling survival show.

Minutes into the first epiode, Matt met former Royal Martine commando Jason who promptly shoved the politician into a river.

After the first challenge, which saw the stars tasked with walking over a tight rope, Jason referred to Matt as ‘Hancock with a silent “han”‘, which prompted an amused reaction from viewers. 

Later in the episode, Matt faced off against former footballer Jermaine Pennant as they had to punch each other in the head until they were told to stop.

Tough: The former health secretary, 44, is one of 16 celebrities taking part in the latest series of the gruelling survival show

Matt said of the challenge: ‘He’s a former England footballer and he’s no softy. At the same time I was relieved that I wasn’t being paired with somebody even bigger. Or a woman. 

‘But I thought: ‘This is a bad moment!’ It didn’t hurt nearly as much as I expected, actually, being smacked in the face. The bravery some people showed sticking at it, especially when there were unequal bouts.’

Matt said his physical and mental resilience was tested ‘to its limits almost every minute of every day’ during his time on the show.

The West Suffolk MP said the closest he came to quitting the gruelling programme was after ‘having my rib broken’ during the jungle phase of SAS selection in Thung Ui, north Vietnam. 

He said: ‘I was determined to keep going so I just kept my mouth shut so I wasn’t medically discharged’. 

He was health secretary for almost three years but resigned in June 2021 after it emerged he had broken his own Covid-19 guidance by kissing and embracing aide Gina Coladangelo in his office. 

The keen adventurer, who has been a fan of the SAS series ‘for years’, said he was in ‘pretty good shape’ ahead of the show having completed a 100-mile walk of Mont Blanc and an ‘intensive fitness programme’. 

But he said: ‘Being on SAS was like nothing else… it’s one of the toughest physical things I’ve ever done and it really opens your eyes and makes you really look into yourself.’ 

Hilarious: After the first challenge, which saw the stars tasked with walking over a tight rope, Jason Fox (pictured) referred to Matt as ‘Hancock with a silent “han”‘

Gruelling: Matt said his physical and mental resilience was tested ‘to its limits almost every minute of every day’ during his time on the show

Reaction: Viewers took to Twitter to react to Jason’s cheeky nickname for Matt 

Matt, who lost the Tory whip over his appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, described the reality programmes as ‘very different’ but ‘both tested my resilience’. 

He said: ‘There wasn’t a lot to do in the Australian jungle, so I was always looking forward to the tasks. 

‘The opposite was true on SAS where your physical and mental resilience was tested to its limits almost every minute of every day. Sitting down was a luxury.’