26 February 2024 , 21:24
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AJ Odudu and Will Best are desperate to avoid having hangovers when Celebrity Big Brother launches next month - and are planning to tone down partying at the Brit Awards.
The iconic celeb-packed reality show is being revived by ITV six years after it last aired - with a string of stars already tipped to take part in the new season. AJ, 36, and 39-year-old Will are returning to host the show - having won over fans when they hosted the revived version of civilian Big Brother last year.
The pair will be hitting the town for the BRIT Awards - which will be taking place in London on Saturday 2 March and is notorious for spawning raucous after-show parties that carry on late into the night. However, the launch show for Celeb Big Brother will be filming the next day - with the footage airing in the very first episode which is set to air on Monday 4 March.
AJ and Will are anxious about the episode recording soon after the BRIT Awards parties have wound down, so they are planning to keep their own partying to a minimum. The pair are keen to hit the ground running when the show starts and they don’t want to miss a second of the action being filmed inside the house.
The pair will return to screens in just a number of days (James Veysey/REX/Shutterstock)AJ told the press: "We need a good night's kip because when Big Brother starts its go, go, go. The housemates are always doing something and the storylines are always changing. I love a party. It was my birthday a couple of days ago and I'm still celebrating it. It's the BRITs is right before Celebrity Big Brother and me and Will are already pep talking each other." Will added: "I will be able to not go to an after-party but it's the devil on my shoulder here which is going to be causing problems with that."
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The duo also teased some of the format choices that have been made for the upcoming new show - which will see at least two stars kicked out of the house each week. Will explained: "We know from chatting to housemates that have been in how the mood is affected by evictions and nominations. Eviction and nominations happening more often just ranks up the pressure and it will really mess with their heads. I think Big Brother doesn't need to do much to bring out extreme reactions from celebs compared to the civilians but it doesn't mean that Big Brother won't do weird and wonderful things to them."
So far a number of names have been linked to the upcoming season. Love Island star Ekin-Su Culculoglu is due to take part - much to the fury of her ex-boyfriend, Davide Sanclimenti. A source close to the Italian reality star told The Sun: "Davide was desperate to do CBB and had been plaguing ITV to get some face time with bosses in a bid to convince them he'd be the perfect fit for the show. Unfortunately, ITV weren't interested so didn't meet him - they always had their sights set on Ekin instead.
"When Davide got wind in the press that Ekin had signed up following their split, he was livid. He's always had some insecurities over her being a bigger star after Love Island than him, especially after she went on to land spots on Dancing On Ice and then The Traitors. His ego has taken a real bruising."
Other names linked to the show include former X Factor judges Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, legendary former This Morning host Fern Britton, and iconic chef Levi Roots. However, an ITV spokesperson has told the Mirror: “Any names for Celebrity Big Brother are purely speculation."