Boris Johnson has reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from ITV to take part in this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!
The former Prime Minister stepped down as an MP in June and is now a regular on the international speaking circuit, where he typically earns tens - or even hundreds - of thousands of pounds for giving speeches to various institutions.
A report from The Mirror claimed that Johnson, 59, had been approached by ITV with an offer to enter the Aussie jungle for I'm A Celeb this November - supposedly with a financial reward that would dwarf ex-health secretary Matt Hancock's £400,000 pay packet from last year.
However, The Sun says that Johnson was quick to decline the offer and now the broadcaster is considering other political targets including ex-PM Liz Truss, ex-deputy PM Dominic Raab and ex-Chancellor Sajid Javid.
"After seeing the effect of having former Health Secretary Matt Hancock on the show last year, bosses were keen to repeat the feat in the new series," a source told the newspaper.
"High-level politicians are virtually guaranteed to create controversy in the camp - which equates to compulsive viewing for fans at home.
"Having signed up Matt in 2022 and made an approach to Boris this year, jungle producers realise they have nothing to lose by targeting the biggest names in Westminster.
"Boris was likely to have landed a six-figure sum which would have been the highest ever on the show. Previously, the biggest was £600,000 for Noel Edmonds in 2018."
Johnson already has ties to the ITV reality show as his father Stanley Johnson took part in 2017, finishing in seventh place.
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