Some celebs tried turned their back on TV and tried to conquer parliament – but it didn’t go very well.
It’s polling day in the UK on Wednesday (July 4), which means millions of Brits heading to the polling booths to vote for our next Prime Minister. At the time of writing, it seemed PM Rishi Sunak was getting booted out of Downing Street and Labour’s Keir Starmer elected as the next PM.
But have you ever wondered what it would be like if your favourite reality TV star got to run the country? It turns out former glamour model Katie Price once tried to earn your vote, trying to fix Britain with free plastic surgery for all.
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To mark the general election, Daily Star has rounded up the celebrities who tried (and failed) to get into Westminster and the White House.
Katie Price
(Image: Bruce Adams/Daily Mail/REX/Shutterstock)
That’s right. In 2001, Pricey ran as an independent candidate in the Manchester seat of Stretford and Urmston. The Page 3 icon, who just got her 17th boob job, pledged free plastic surgery for all in her bid to make Britain better.
The TV star told the electorate she would deliver more nudist beaches and a ban on parking tickets if they were to put a cross by her name on the ballot paper. She promised “a bigger, betta [sic] future” but sadly lost her deposit after winning just 713 votes.
Brilliantly, she declared during the campaign: “I know it will take a big swing but there’s no bigger swinger than me.”
Kanye West
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Who could forget the time Ye, formerly Kanye West, tried to win his way into the Whitehouse. In 2020, he entered the presidential race as an independent in what he called the “Birthday Party”.
Launching his bid, he wrote on X: “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION.”
His tweet went viral at the time, but the campaign wasn’t all that successful. He only made it on the ballot in 12 states and earned 70,000 votes. He also claimed he intended to run for US president in 2024.
But he was battered by controversy after a string of antisemetic tweets on social media. He apologised in December and temporarily came off of social media.
Caitlyn Jenner
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Keeping Up With the Kardashians star announced she was running for governor of California in April 2021. She said in a press release at the time: “Taking on entrenched Sacramento politicians and the special interests that fund them requires a fighter who isn’t afraid to do what is right.
“I am a proven winner and the only outsider who can put an end to Gavin Newsom’s disastrous time as governor.” However, she only received about 1% of the vote and finished in 13th place, losing out to Gavin Newsom.
Al Murray
(Image: PA WIRE)
Comedian Al Murray tried to win the 2015 election in South Thanet. It was the same seat that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was running for.
The Pub Landlord star said at the time: “It seems to me that the UK is ready for a bloke waving a pint around, offering commonsense solutions.” But he only managed to win 318 votes.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
We’ve decided to include Arnie in this list, but purely as a success story as nobody wants The Terminator on their back. Turns out beating up bad guys isn’t the only thing he’s good at, because he’s done rather well in politics, too.
The Austrian-born bodybuilder and actor became the 38th Republican governor of California from 2003 until 2011. At the time, he received 48.6 percent of the vote, finishing 17 points ahead of runner-up Cruz Bustamante of the Democrats.
It seems Mr. Universe didn’t find it too hard to become Mr. California. And he decided not to take his governor’s salary of $175,000 per year as he was already so wealthy from being the world’s biggest action star.
Shirley Temple
Hollywood legend Shirley Temple was a bright spark. She found fame at the young age of seven for her role in Bright Eyes (1934) and in 1935 became the first child star to be honoured with a Juvenile Oscar. At first, it didn’t go her way in politics.
She unsuccessfully ran for congress in 1967, but was later appointed America’s ambassador to Ghana in 1974 and to Czechoslovakia in 1989. Temple also served as Chief of Protocol of the United Stated.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
