Celebrity MP Dorries Says Colleagues Are 'Jealous'

Nadine Dorries has said criticism of her appearance in the I'm a Celebrity jungle was fuelled by the "jealousy" of other MPs.

Speaking to London's LBC radio station she said the programme had given her a platform to voice her opinions, adding "people know who I am now".

She told presenter Iain Dale: "The word jealousy springs to mind.

"I know what's happened, a lot of MPs including the female MPs, and the female MPs I've been told were the critical ones are the jobless and the more ambitious."

Ms Dorries, the MP for Mid Bedfordshire, was suspended from the Conservative Party earlier this month after agreeing to take part in I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here amid concerns she would not be able to carry out her constituency duties while in Australia.

She was the first to be voted out of the show and has been asked to meet with the Chief Whip Sir George Young when she returns to the UK.

She added: "There's been a kind of 'oh no, she's gone in the jungle and she's going to attack Cameron and Osborne.' I know this has probably been fired up by number 10.

"What amazes me is that number 10 would think I would go into the jungle for it to be all about them. It wasn't about them, it was about me and the issues I'm concerned in."

Ms Dorries has also accused her critics of being sexist.

Writing in a blog entry on the conservativehome website, she said: "What has shocked me the most has been the sexism and double standards applied to my appearance.

"I am very sure that William Hague, following his resignation as leader of the party, spent far more than three sitting days away from Parliament whilst he was writing his books and speaking on the after dinner circuit earning vast amounts of money.

"Following Vince Cable's handling of the BSkyB deal he appeared on Strictly Come Dancing. Oh, how the press loved him. Well, of course, they would, he's a bloke."