­Nadine Dorries suspended for joining reality show

A British MP was suspended by her party after she swapped the political jungle for the Australian rainforest and became a contestant on a reality TV show. The Conservative politician Nadine Dorries was under fire for taking part in I'm a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here. The show strands C-list celebrities in the Australian wilderness, subjects them to trials involving creepy-crawlies and lets viewers vote them off one by one.

The Conservatives said Dorries was being suspended from the party's parliamentary caucus until she could return and meet Chief Whip George Young, who is responsible for party discipline.

But the Conservative commentator Tim Montgomerie said appearing on the show, which begins broadcasting in the UK on Sunday, could help Dorries "present an image of a Tory MP that defies some of the popular preconceptions and caricatures".

It could also backfire. In 2006, George Galloway, an MP representing the small Respect party, appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and was widely mocked for escapades that included performing interpretive dance dressed in a red leotard and lapping imaginary milk while pretending to be a cat.

Dorries is an outspoken backbencher best known for her prolific blogging.