It's never going to grab the zeitgeist the way it did in the early noughties, but Big Brother has enjoyed a bit of a revival since it moved to Channel 5 in 2011. The show's celebrity editions have been particularly addictive thanks to smart casting pitting Perez Hilton against Katie Hopkins, and spectacularly abrasive US reality star Farrah Abraham against, well, just about everyone else in the house. With the new series launching tonight, here's our pick of the rumoured celebrity contestants you’ll probably find yourself watching more than you’d care to admit.
Celebrity Big Brother begins tonight at 9pm on Channel 5.
David Gest
In a way, it's surprising that the music producer, ex-husband of Liza Minnelli and owner of a genuinely fascinating hairline hasn't appeared on Celebrity Big Brother before. His stint on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2006 so endeared him to the British public that ITV2 gave him his own reality show and he got to publish a memoir called Simply The Gest. Expect loads of clanging references to his childhood friendship with the late Michael Jackson, but a rather more reserved approach when anyone brings up his Oscar-winning ex-wife or their legendary 2002 wedding, which was nicknamed the "night of a thousand facelifts".
Nancy Dell'Olio
Nearly 15 years after she rose to fame as the partner of then England football manager Sven-Göran Eriksson, the glamorous Italian remains something close to a household name. That’s especially impressive given that no one seems to know exactly what Dell'Olio does. Though she's a qualified lawyer, her Twitter bio currently links through to a crowd-funding page for "Limonbello, a new drink with an edge inspired by Limoncello. Great taste and sugar free!" She might not respond well to the claustrophobia and general aggravation of the CBB household, but watching her in this context should be addictive. For example, what does Nancy Dell'Olio wear to bed? Surely nothing as humdrum as a pair of pyjamas...
Jonathan Cheban
Fans of Keeping Up with the Kardashians will know Cheban from his semi-regular appearances on the show. For everyone else, here's an idiot's guide: he's a PR guru, restauranteur and founder of gossip website The Dishh.com, and he's good enough friends with Kim K to get a “good luck" tweet ahead of entering the house. As Farrah Abraham proved last year, American reality stars don't need to be well known here to make an impact on CBB, so canny, outspoken Cheban could be someone to keep an eye on.
Danniella Westbrook
Over the years, the former EastEnders actress has had a tough time of it, battling drug addiction, the subsequent collapse of her septum and more recently financial difficulties. There's a clear comeback narrative if Westbrook acquits herself well, and as the success of Kerry Katona proves, reality show viewers tend to respond sympathetically to celebrities who speak candidly about their problems and try to remedy them. Ever plucky, Westbrook was papped in Tenerife yesterday topping up her tan before she returns to our TV screens, so it seems safe to presume she's ready to use CBB to relaunch her career.
Christopher Maloney
The brittle-nerved Liverpudlian was ribbed pretty mercilessly on The X Factor in 2012, but still managed to finish a very creditable third – ahead of Union J, Ella Henderson and Big Brothe r's own Rylan Clark. According to tabloid reports, CBB producers have cast him to provide emotional support for his friend Danniella Westbrook, and he's set to unveil a dramatic £60,000 personal makeover on tonight's launch show. Even if this turns out to be an exaggeration, he's sure to provide a handful of "WTF?!" moments.
Angie Bowie
It's a little reductive to refer to Angie as simply "David Bowie's ex-wife". The former fashion model has enjoyed an interesting career as an actress – she once auditioned to play Wonder Woman – and then as a writer, publishing two memoirs and books about bisexuality and the glam rock era. CBB producers will be hoping she becomes the series’ unlikely break-out star, a bit like Lady Colin Campbell on I'm A Celebrity.
Gemma Collins
For the scene-stealing star of The Only Way Is Essex, CBB represents a chance to atone after she was ridiculed for quitting I'm A Celebrity after just three days in 2014. Collins is a regular guest on spin-off show Big Brother's Bit on the Side, so she’ll know to behave if she wants to last the distance, but at the same time, she's unlikely to hold back if provoked. A couple of years ago she famously shut down a row with fellow TOWIE star Ferne McCann by declaring: "I'm Gemma Collins, I'm 34, I've earned my divaship." More of this on CBB please, Gem.
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