Big Brother's Chantelle Houghton had secret run-in with house before show fame
Big Brother's Chantelle Houghton almost made it into Big Brother 2006 but was sent home after just two days.
The reality star became known for her appearance on the celebrity edition of the show in 2006 – despite not actually being famous. She was tasked with pretending to be a member of the fictional band Kamndy Floss and had to convince the likes of Preston and Rula Lenska that she was actually famous.
Chantelle, 40, successfully tricked her famous housemates and secured a spot in the house and went on to win the programme having gone up against Michael Barrymore after securing 56.4% of the public vote and winning £25,000. However, things were almost very different for Chantelle.
Chantelle Houghton has opened up about her Big Brother experience (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, the star said: "I didn't go into isolation but what they did do, a few weeks before the show actually goes live with official contestants, they use shortlisted housemates that come under the official ones to go into the house and do a practice run of Big Brother.
"The cameras are on but it's not televised, you do all the tasks and everything like that, it was for a week. We got in there on the Monday and by the Wednesday I was home." She went on to add: "They gave me a task to get myself evicted and to be put up for eviction.
TOWIE's Chloe Brockett makes cheeky dig at Saffron Lempriere during filming
"I had to get everyone to hate me, it was horrible, it was awful." But the Essex-born star believes that bosses had chosen her to see if she was able to live up to the task. "I assumed that when I got evicted from the house, that was it and Big Brother was over for me," she said before continuing: "It wasn't until December that year that I got a call from producers to ask if I wanted to go into January."
The reality star said that she and her practice housemates questioned whether they would be chosen for the summer house but eventually said they were "guinea pigs". Discussing her Celebrity Big Brother journey, she said: "I was so young that had I like no worries or anything, I was excited for the opportunity.
She was tasked with making her celebrity housemates believe she was a famous singer (PA)"I realised that it could be taken away from me as quickly as it had been given, I was so anxious and nervous but I was determined not to be evicted again." Despite being tasked with making everybody believe she was in a girl band, Chantelle didn't feel nervous about this.
She said: "But looking back I know how I convinced them because when you go on Big Brother, they're all celebrities, they're all known. All you care bout is what people are thinking of you, you're not worried about the next person. You're worried about how you're going to come across, if it's going to relaunch your career, if people are going to like you or despise you – I think that's how I got away with it, no one's interested in you, they're far too interested in themselves!"
Chantelle went from being unknown to becoming one of the most recognised faces across the country in just a number of weeks and described it as "surreal". Despite her newfound fame, she never let this get to her and she continued to remain grounded and true to her roots. Prior to Big Brother, she admits she had no intentions of becoming famous but wanted a better life.
She said: "I didn't go on there to be famous, that was the second thing that came from it. I'm so grounded, I've got no airs and graces, we're all just human beings at the end of the day." Although she was once one of the biggest names in reality TV, she took a step back from work in order to focus on herself.
"I had a lot of horrible stuff being done to me and I just wasn't mentally strong enough to continue being in the public eye," she said before adding: "I love what I do, I'm not going to let anyone take that away from me."
Chantelle Houghton was speaking on behalf of ICE 36. Check out the ICE 36 blog for more from Chantelle Houghton.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
