Ed Balls reveals he turned down I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here appearance after election defeat

'I wrote back to say that I’d already subjected myself to one high-profile public vote this year, and I wasn’t really sure that I wanted a second one'

Britain's opposition Labour Party Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls reacts after loosing his seat to Conservative candidate Andrea Jenkyns, at the counting centre in Leeds (REUTERS/Craig Brough)

Former shadow chancellor Ed Balls has revealed he turned down an offer to appear on reality TV show I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, after he lost the election in May.

Speaking in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the former Labour politician said: “There was great excitement in our house, or horror, when an offer came in from I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!.’

However, he said he had declined the offer: “I wrote back to say that I’d already subjected myself to one high-profile public vote this year, and I wasn’t really sure that I wanted a second one.

“At least having to eat lots of bugs and crickets wasn’t part of the election process. I’m not tough enough for that.”

He also revealed that Conservative rival George Osborne had sent him a text to commiserate him on his election defeat.

Balls sensationally lost his seat as an MP, in what was dubbed the ‘Portillo moment’ of the 2015 general election. He lost his seat to Andrea Jenkyns from the Conservative party by a margin of 3.6 per cent.