04 March 2024 , 13:09
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The wait is almost over as Celebrity Big Brother is back on our screens tonight.
Hosted by AJ Odudu and Will Best, Celebrity Big Brother: Live Launch will soon reveal the new cast of famous faces who are entering the iconic house, as they embark on the ultimate social experiment and become isolated from the outside world. Things will get under way on Monday March 4 at 9pm on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player.
But it's also been confirmed that the 24/7 live stream will be returning, giving viewers the opportunity to watch all the live house action seven nights a week - leaving fans thrilled that they can watch the stars around the clock like they used to. In a video posted to social media, AJ said: "Guys! The wait is almost finally over, because Celebrity Big Brother: The Launch hits our screens at 9pm on Monday 4th March."
After seven years off air, the star-studded version of the iconic reality series will return to our screens on ITV1 and ITVX in a matter of weeks, thanks to the broadcaster rebooting the original format last year. Fans can't wait with telly bosses pulling out all the stops to ensure its a return to remember.
ITV are yet to reveal just which stars have signed on the dotted line, but needless to say, the rumour mill is certainly swirling. Last week, the Mirror exclusively revealed that Love Island star Ekin-Su Culculoglu is poised to enter into the Celebrity Big Brother house after splitting with Davide Sanclimenti.
TOWIE's Chloe Brockett makes cheeky dig at Saffron Lempriere during filming
Full Celebrity Big Brother line-up
David Potts: Ibiza Weekender favourite David Potts has swapped boozing on the Spanish island for weeks locked away in a house in north London. The reality TV star, 30, who has also graced the screens of Celebs Go Dating and Celebrity Ghost Trip, appeared on the Spain-based ITV2 series from 2016 to 2020.
David, who went on a health kick in 2020 and lost nearly three stone, is a big fan of the Big Brother franchise and has even appeared on its spin-off show before. The Bolton-born star rocked up on our screens as a guest on Big Brother's sister show Late & Live as he gave his views on the latest drama on non-celebrity version of the show. Sharing photos of himself in the studio at the time, David gushed: "Had such a stunning time on @bbuk late & live last night spilling all the t with these absolute huns! Thanks for having me @itvxofficial."
Nikita Kuzmin: The Strictly Come Dancing professional is joining the Celebrity Big Brother line-up following his success on the recent series with Layton Williams. However, his appearance on the show will set tongues wagging as question marks are raised over whether he will be returning to the BBC dancing show.
Most recently, he bid goodbye to his Strictlty co-stars after the tour ended, prompting speculation that he might be leaving. He wrote: "Missing all of these lovely people and happy moments. Last tour pics btw :(." In response, one fan wrote: "And we miss you too. If the rumours are to be believed, then please just be the beautiful human being you are, stay strong and see you on the other side." While another commented: "@nikita__kuzmin is it true you could be quitting strictly to do CBB? Please can you just do both, don’t quit anything."
Meanwhile, Layton was recently confirmed as one of the Celebrity Big Brother: Late & Live Houseguests alongside Oti Mabuse and Jordan North.
Fern Britton: Former This Morning star Fern Britton's appearance on Celebrity Big Brother could prove to be explosive and is believed to be set to lift the lid on her well-known feud with her former co-host Phillip Schofield. She had presented the ITV show for six years alongside Phil before she was replaced by Holly Willoughby in 2009.
After Fern dramatically quit, she had initially claimed that it was because she wanted to spend more time with her family. However, it was later reported that Phil was being paid £250,000 more than her. Friends of the TV star revealed that she felt "undervalued" by ITV bosses and was "living in Phil's shadow". The pair had also been hosting Mr & Mrs together at the time, and it was reported that he was earning three times her salary on the show. Yet, in 2016 Fern denied leaving due to the pay gap but failed to turn up for This Morning's 25th anniversary celebrations.
Things got awkward in 2018 when Fern was interviewed via video link for the show's 30th anniversary celebrations, saying to Phil: "Congrats on the BAFTA. That was absolutely wonderful and brilliant. I would have loved to have been there but I didn't get an invitation." The rows rolled onto Twitter, with Phil making a cruel jibe at Fern. However, one of Fern's agents later admitted that they made a mistake and that they'd declined the invite on her behalf.
In 2020, Phil said that Fern hadn't reached out when he came out as gay on This Morning, but that she had messaged his wife. Just three years later, when Phil's "unwise, but not illegal" extramarital affair with a younger male member of the This Morning crew was exposed, Fern made a loaded comment about her ex co-star as she met up with his biggest critic Eamonn Holmes and said she had the "loveliest catch-up".
Having signed up for her first reality show in over a decade, who knows what stories Fern could tell about what really went on behind the scenes...
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Louis Walsh: He's best known for sitting in the judge's seat, so how will he fare being the one judged?
It's been five years since ITV axed The X Factor after ratings slid off a cliff during its doomed Celebrity X Factor series - which saw Megan McKenna triumph over the likes of the Love Actually girl, talk show host Ricki Lake and Vinnie Jones - but Louis is ready for a comeback.
Despite his time away from the spotlight, Louis will likely be as controversial as ever ('Little Lenny Henry', anyone?) and could rub his housemates up the wrong way. He is also believed to have demanded close friend Sharon Osbourne appear on the show with him, which could culminate in chaos.
As with Fern, Louis will have endless stories in his back pocket and gossip to spill, making him the perfect housemate for the line-up.
Zeze Millz: British TV presenter Zeze Millz will be making her reality TV debut with her appearance in the CBB house on Monday evening. Over the years, she's interviewed huge names like Big Narstie, Wiley, N-Dubz and Fireboy DML via her YouTube series The Zeze Millz Show. She also began hosting a weekly late-night topic show from November 2021 on Channel 4 called Unapologetic, which sees black guests talk about issues of the day.
Not afraid to voice her opinion, Zeze has appeared on Good Morning Britain, produced a feature for Channel 4 in 2022 called Young, Black and Right-Wing, and was the host of this year's MOBO Awards. And with over 180,000 followers on Instagram - among which include Alesha Dixon, Kate Ferdinand and Kerry Katona - and nearly 30,000 subscribers on YouTube, Zeze has a big following which could bring a new type of audience to the ITV show.
Bradley Riches: A Netflix heartthrob will be making his way into the house in the form of Heartstopper actor Bradley Riches. Known best as lovable character James McEwan in the worldwide hit show about LGBTQ+ school kids finding their way through life and love, Bradley will be switching it up by starring in the ITV reality show.
Bradley, 24, who is gay and autistic, hopes his participation will boost representation of minority groups. Since being diagnosed with autism at nine years old, he has become passionate about becoming an advocate for his community. He has also helped campaign for the NHS' Every Mind Matters to help raise awareness of support for loneliness and recently spoke with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at No 10. Sharing his experience on Instagram, he wrote: "Loneliness. It’s a part of life, let’s talk about it."
Bradley has needed to make time in his busy schedule to appear on CBB as he was last month filming season two of BBC Three's WRECK. ITV bosses are clearly looking to hook in Gen Z with his signing following Heartstopper's popularity with younger viewers.
Colson Smith: Soap fans will be delighted to see Coronation Street legend Colson Smith, better known by his character Craig Tinker, will be stepping off the cobbles and into the house. Loveable police officer Craig has become a staple in Weatherfield during his 13-year run as Beth Tinker's son. Over the years he's enjoyed a number of huge storylines, from his OCD struggles and Kylie's stabbing horror to his heartbreaking bullying plot as a teen.
Away from Corrie, Colson has spoken openly about his weightloss journey, which he kickstarted in 2020 during Covid when he was unable to work as filming was halted. He went on to release a YouTube documentary, Bored of Being the Fat Kid, and loost an incredible 10 stone over the years.
He's much loved among his co-stars on the ITV soap, appearing on Sofa Cinema Club podcast alongside his Coronation Street co-stars Ben Price and Jack P. Shepherd, so will be the perfect person for any struggling housemates to confide in.
Lauren Simon: The Real Housewives of Cheshire star isn't a stranger to having her name splashed across the headlines following her bitter divorce becoming one of the main storylines of the reality TV show. She had been married to property tycoon Paul Simon for 13 years but the couple split in 2018 after which Lauren received a £ 3 million settlement.
But it didn't end there as Paul won an appeal after claiming they only had £ 2 million in assets between them and no cash of his own. In February last year, a consent order was approved and Lauren was given the right to live in a £1.8 million mansion in Altrincham for life but only if she agreed to drop all other bids to get Paul's money.
While she's remained off Twitter since 2020, Lauren still regularly posts on Instagram to show off her glam makeovers and star-studded nights out. Considering her loud, no-nonsense attitude, Lauren could make an interesting housemate...
Marisha Wallace: It couldn't be a Celebrity Big Brother line-up without an American star, right?
Having earned her stripes on Broadway shows Aladdin and Something Rotten, she went on to star as Effie White in Dreamgirls and appeared in Hairspray and Waitress on the West End. Marisha frequently posts on Instagram to show fans what life as a musicals star, most recently enjoying a boozy night out with Katherine Jenkins and pals on St David's Day. She wrote: "Happy St David’s Day! I was an honorary Welshie last night thanks to my sister @katherinejenkinsobe ! We celebrated St. David’s Day in style. We had loads of incredible cocktails with Kat’s new gin @cygnet_gin which looks and tastes sensational.
"I loved hearing what being Welsh means to my incredible friends. The language and the traditions. The pride! I loved it. I have so many Welsh friends who have been a huge support for me. They are always up for a laugh and boy can they sing. When I took my life in the UK test I learned about daffodils as the flower of Wales. It was beautiful to see them laid out on the table last night with my UK family sitting all around."
Last week, she finished her stint on Guys And Dolls and was visibly emotional to see her parents in the audience, writing: "Fin…it was amazing to have my Mom and Mike and my niece at the last show. What an unforgettable night. My Mom has not been to see a show in London since Dreamgirls. So it was a very special moment to be at this point in the journey to show her how far I have come. I cried like a baby in her arms after the curtain call. You can have thousands of fans but nothing beats your Mom watching you perform."
Gary Goldsmith: Considered one of the most shocking signings of this year, Kate Middleton's uncle Gary Goldsmith will be stepping into the house amid much much speculation of the whereabouts of his niece following her abdominal surgery in December.
Gary landed a huge deal to take part in the reality TV show, but this is not the first time Gary, who is Carole Middleton's brother, has been keen to be in the spotlight as he wanted to take part in I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! - but was rejected. Bosses thought his inclusion could embarrass both Prince William and Kate but their decision was made at the final stages. Gary has vowed to discuss all topics while in the house which has pleased show bosses. Aside from being related to royalty, Gary is an IT technician. The royal relative was spotted doing some last minute shopping on Friday, before going into hiding ahead of Monday night's launch.
Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu: Love Island winner Ekin-Su has just finished one reality show and is ready to hop right into another one.
Having won fans over with her fiery romance with Davide Saclimenti in 2022, Ekin-Su went on to secure a number of brand deals before starring on American version of The Traitors alongside US TV royalty Phaedra Parks, Lara Pippen and boxer Deontay Wilder, but she was brutally killed off in the fourth episode.
Boasting over 3.5million followers on Instagram, Ekin-Su already has a legion of fans ready to support her and considering her passionate and confident personality, she could prove to be a very interesting housemate...
Levi Roots: He's not just a Dragons' Den legend, he's the Dragons' Den legend.
If anyone's ever watched a single episode of the hit BBC show, they'll remember the moment Levi Roots shot to fame in 2007 with his Reggae Reggae sauce, which is now a staple in many kitchens across the UK and world. At the time, Levi wanted a £50,000 investment for a 40 per cent stake in his business selling his sauce. He's now considered one of the biggest success stories of the show ever, he is now believed to have an estimated net worth of around £35million.
A source told the Mirror: "Levi will be great for the Celebrity Big Brother house. He's got a few exciting projects coming up and he's such a fun character." They added: "He's self-made and is an inspiration to a new generation."
Sharon Osbourne: The X Factor legend could be joining her former co-star Louis Walsh in the Big Brother house. Show bosses reportedly wanted Sharon to take part in the show, but couldn't afford her as a fully-fledged housemate. She is now tipped to enter as a special guest.