After the overwhelming success of Big Brother last year, AJ Odudu and Will Best are gearing up to host the glamorous spin-off: Celebrity Big Brother. No more mere mortals on our screens, every evening we’ll be tuning in to watch our favourite (and possibly least favourite) celebs attempt to cohabit with their fellow stars.
In anticipation of the show’s official return on 4 March, numerous names were swirling around the ether, including Kate Middleton's uncle Gary Goldsmith and former The X Factor icon Louis Walsh. And guess what? The rumours are true.
The Sun has leaked the alleged line-up ahead of Monday's launch and it includes some big names. Gary, for one, is likely to cause a stir as he is reportedly a bit of a ‘black sheep’ in the Middleton family. No stranger to controversy and not one to keep his lips sealed, Gary’s potential signing has raised more than a few eyebrows.
He'll be joined by the likes of former Love Island winner Ekin-Su, Dragons Den star Levi Roots and former This Morning presenter Fern Britton. It's giving chaos, which can only mean one thing. Celebrity Big Brother is well and truly back.
The Celebrity Big Brother 2024 line-up
Gary Goldsmith
58-year-old businessman Gary Goldsmith – referred to as ‘the black sheep’ of the Middleton family – is Carole Middleton’s brother.
Rumours surrounding his appearance on Celebrity Big Brother come from a source who said, ‘Gary is champing at the bit to get on Celebrity Big Brother. He finalised the terms of his deal today [Saturday] and can’t wait to enter the house.
‘The CBB team love him because of his link to Kate and the fact that he’s confident and loud and won’t hold back. He’s made it clear he will talk about everything and anything, and he’s pretty outspoken when it comes to Harry and Meghan.’
A controversial signing, Gary hit headlines in 2009 when he was spotted measuring cocaine with a sex worker in Ibiza and then again in 2017 when he admitted to punching his fourth wife Julie-Ann after a night of drinking and was subsequently fined. It begs the question why he’s being given a platform on Celebrity Big Brother, but there we go.
Levi Roots
Dragons’ Den icon Levi Roots – the man behind Levi Roots’ Reggae Reggae Sauce – is also rumoured to have signed up for Celebrity Big Brother.
An insider has said, ‘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.’
Funnily enough, this won’t be Levi’s first time in the Big Brother house as in 2013, he entered the house as a special celebrity guest and cooked a traditional Caribbean meal for the housemates.
Louis Walsh
The X Factor judge has confirmed that he has turned down the opportunity to appear on Celebrity Big Brother saying, ‘I have no plans to do any reality TV this year as right now it’s all about the music for me with Westlife and Next In Line.
‘Believe it or not, I never wanted any personal fame — that is something that happened unexpectedly when Simon Cowell asked me to be a judge on The X Factor.’
Nikita Kuzmin
Strictly professional Nikita Kuzmin is the surprise signing this year, given his close ties to rival channel BBC. But since it's his Strictly off-season and the tour will be wrapped up, he has time to show us his personality on ITV2.
The 26-year-old dancer was recently partnered up with Layton Williams on the show and made it to the final – often causing controversy because they were too good as a pair. They were later declared winners of the Strictly live tour. Will he be teaching his fellow housemates the Argentine Tango? Let's wait and see.
David Potts
David Potts, 30, found fame on Ibiza Weekender and has also appeared on Celebs Go Dating, Celebs on the Farm, Celebrity Karaoke Club and Celebrity Ghost Trip, so he knows how to make good reality TV. So it's no surprise that he is entering the Celebrity Big Brother house this year.
There's no doubt David will share his weight loss journey with the house, given that he's recently lost an impressive three stone.
He recently told fans, 'For everyone wanting to know how I’ve done it. I’m no dietitian or PT, but I try and go to the gym 6 days a week and eat 1700 calories! Then one day I do zero exercise and eat whatever the F I want! It seems to be working for me.' Time to celebrate by spending up to three weeks locked in a bungalow!
Bradley Riches
Fans of the hit Netflix show Heartstopper will be elated to see Bradley Riches in the line-up. Apparently ITV have high hopes that he will appeal to a younger audience and fans of the coming-of-age show that centred a young, gay couple.
Bradley, 24, is openly gay and autistic and hopes to improve the show's representation. A source told The Sun, 'Brad really wants to fly the flag for autistic, queer people on a huge mainstream show like Celebrity Big Brother. He was diagnosed with autism when he was nine and is passionate about being an advocate for his community.'
Zeze Millz
If anyone is poised to interrogate their fellow housemates, it's Zeze Millz. The social media star and cultural commentator is known for her brave interview style and no nonsense approach.
Her show's bio reads, 'If we can get them in a room with Zeze... It's gloves off.' That bodes well for a good CBB series, and some great diary room rants.
Marisha Wallace
Fancy an American? So do we. Enter Marisha Wallace, best known for her Broadway performances in Aladdin, Something Rotten and Dreamgirls, and her West End performances in Hairspray and Waitress.
Marisha hopes to make an impact on the British public and is bound to sing her way through the tough challenges. We hope she knows what she's signed up.
Colson Smith
Coronation Street star Colson Smith, 25, plays policeman Craig Tinker in the ITV soap. But he's swapped Corrie for the CBB house after 'months of talks', so he's set to be a big personality this series.
A source told The Sun that ITV bosses are 'thrilled he's keen to enter the nation's most famous house because he's a big name already loved by millions of viewers and they were hellbent on securing someone from Corrie as it's great cross-promotion for ITV.'
Fern Britton
Former This Morning presenter and former close pal of Phillip Schofield, Fern Britton is set to enter the house. They hosted the show together for six years before she was replaced by Holly Willoughby in 2009.
After last year's controversy surrounding Phillip Schofield's resignation, will Fern spill the beans on their relationship? It's likely that's what the ITV bosses are hoping for.
Apparently Fern is going in to 'shift the public's perception of her' and wants to show us a 'different side'.
Lauren Simon
It wouldn't be a celebrity reality show without some type of Real Housewife. Here we have Cheshire's very own Lauren Simon entering the house.
The 46-year-old star has been on RHOC since it launched in 2015 and will have many a tale to share with her new housemates. Will she cope with measly food shops, big egos and no luxuries? Who knows.
Ekin-Su Cülcüloglu
Despite rumours that Love Island star Chloe Burrows might be entering the CBB house, it seems that former winner Ekin-Su is filling this year's Love Island slot.
After a surprising stint on The Traitors US, and a recent break-up from boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti, now is the time for Ekin-Su to give reality TV another crack. And this time she won't have to spend all day in her bikini. Unless she wants to, of course.
Sharon Osbourne
The final big ticket celeb (and surprise guest) this year is the one and only Sharon Osbourne. However, she is rumoured to only be going on the show as a special guest to see her old friend Louis Walsh.
A source said, 'Sharon is a guest housemate and won’t be going in on launch night. Instead she will come in once the show has started and will be there for a few days.'
Daisy Hall is a News and Entertainment writer on Grazia, specialising in TV and film meaning that you can count on Daisy for the latest (and best) recommendations.