Tony Hadley was in high spirits on Thursday as he received an MBE at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
The singer, best known for Spandau Ballet’s 1980s hits Gold and True, was awarded an MBE for charitable contributions to the shooting star Chase Children’s Hospice Care.
Speaking about being made an MBE, Hadley, 31, said he was “really proud,” adding, “It’s such an honor. It was a bit of a shock to be honest.’
Tony thought about it when he found out, saying, “I was like ‘Wow’, I really wasn’t expecting it.”
‘It’s such an honour’: Tony Hadley was in high spirits on Thursday as he received an MBE at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace
Tony went on to say he thinks Matt Hancock will regret being on I’m A Celebrity…Get me out of here! as the focus will be on ‘juicy gossip’ about him rather than dyslexia awareness.
The singer said he thinks Matt is making a “huge mistake” by signing on to the ITV programme, adding that he thinks politicians “need to be above celebrity”.
Matt had the Tory whip suspended after it emerged he joined the reality show at a time when Parliament is in session and has faced criticism from opposition politicians and from within his own party.
Mistake: The 31-year-old singer went on to say he thinks Matt Hancock will regret being on I’m A Celebrity… Get me out of here!
Tony, who appeared on I’m A Celebrity in 2015, made the comments after picking up his MBE during a ceremony with the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.
He said: “If I were him, I wouldn’t have gone in. I mean, I have to say, from my point of view, I had a fantastic time. It was wonderful.
“But I think at this point in politics in our country, I think politicians need to be above celebrity. And I don’t think it’s a good move for him.’
Proud moment: The singer, best known for Spandau Ballet’s 1980s hits like Gold and True, has been named an MBE for charitable contributions to shooting star Chase Children’s Hospice Care
Tony added: “I just think politics has to be, you know, we’re at a point in our country’s time span, in life, whatever, that people are really suffering.
“The whole country is going through a mess. We have stupid wars in Europe, Ukraine, Russia, crazy times.
“We have China threatening Taiwan and stuff like that. Our politicians must focus on the real problem and not get lost in a jungle.
“I mean, he’s like, ‘I’m going to talk about dyslexia.’ Trust me. They don’t care about dyslexia when you’re in the jungle.
“You’re interested, you know, why he left his wife, why he was caught red-handed… you’ll target something like that. They want juicy gossip.”
Matt previously told The Sun he wanted to use the “incredible platform” on the show to raise awareness about dyslexia, insisting it “wasn’t the check” that made him want to be on the show.
When asked if he thinks Matt will regret it, Hadley said, “I think he’ll regret it, yeah I really do.
“And the one thing is, every single day of the week, Matt Hancock will get every single trial that the public votes on.”
Hadley said he will be watching as he and his family are fans of the show.
‘I like to look. I love watching the food trials. It’s the funniest thing on TV. So yeah I’ll look at it but I think he made a big mistake,” he said.
Hadley also commented on Boy George, whom he has known since he was 19, who was doing the show.
‘I loved it. I enjoyed every minute of it but I’m not sure how George is doing… what he’s going to make of it because trust me you don’t get champagne when the cameras go at nine.
“It’s tough in there. You get really hungry and it’s tough. But good luck to George. He is a nice guy.’
Speaking of which, Matt previously told The Sun he wanted to use the “incredible platform” on the show to raise awareness about dyslexia, insisting it “wasn’t the check” that made him want to be on the show