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When we heard ITV was bringing back Celebrity Big Brother, we had no idea whether it would work, but given that the revival included unexpected feuds, laugh-out-loud ridiculous moments and jaw-dropping revelations from the contestants, we needn’t have worried.
A second run is set to air in the spring, with a new house, new twists and, of course, a whole new cast of celebrities.
Rumours have now begun trickling in about exactly who will be taking part, including familiar faces from a range of different fields.
Curious? Well, here are all the rumoured housemates so far…
Chris Hughes
Chris Hughes is best known for making the final of the third series of Love Island, in what proved to be a flagship year for the reality show.
In the years since, he and former co-star Kem Cetinay landed their own reality show (as well as a short-lived music career), and he can now be seen regularly presenting sports coverage on both the BBC and ITV.
According to The Sun, Chris has now signed on the dotted line to keep his reality career going with a stint in the CBB house, with a “source” claiming that “execs are hoping he will bring his huge young fanbase with him to the show, along with some juicy tales”.
Rebekah Vardy
Following media rival Coleen Rooney’s stint in I’m A Celebrity last year, where she finished in second place, it seems Rebekah Vardy is ready to step back into the spotlight herself.
Back in January, OK! magazine cited a “source”, who said: “Becky will be hoping very much to emulate Coleen’s success in the jungle, and turn public opinion around totally, with a stint on the show.
“She would hope for everyone to fall in love with her and be offered exciting projects off the back of it, just as Coleen has experienced with I’m A Celeb – and a primetime show like Celebrity Big Brother would be a great vehicle for a whole host of opportunities.”
Watch this space to see how that plays out…
Ella Morgan
Another of this year’s rumoured CBB housemates who got their start on reality TV is Ella Morgan.
Ella previously appeared on Married At First Sight in 2023, making history as the first trans bride to take part in the show, and followed that with a stint on another dating show, Celebs Go Dating.
Towards the end of last year, The Sun reported that she had been “in talks with ITV producers to take part on CBB”, with a source claiming the former MAFS fave is “really up for it”.
Danny Beard
Former RuPaul’s Drag Race UK champion Danny Beard was reported by The Sun to be “in talks” with ITV in January about appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, having won over viewers with their candid takes on the spin-off Late & Live.
While best known for winning the fourth series of Drag Race’s UK edition, Danny is no stranger to reality TV, after first making a name for themself on Britain’s Got Talent in 2016, making it through to live shows.
They’ve since gone on to appear on the short-lived Celebrity Karaoke Club, as well as playing themself in an episode of Hollyoaks and landing an enviable presenting gig on Radio 1.
Paul Chuckle
Last year, 90s kids’ TV fave Paul Chuckle became the first celebrity rumoured to be “in talks” for an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother.
According to The Sun, Paul – who made up one half of The Chuckle Brothers, alongside his late brother Barry – had actually been booked to appear on last year’s series, but was ditched at the eleventh hour when bosses thought the line-up was already a little “skewed” in terms of age.
“It’s early days as the Big Brother team is still busy with October’s ‘civilian series’,” a “source” told the tabloid in August. “But Paul’s name is in the mix for the celeb version.”
Tommy Fury
No, Chris Hughes isn’t the only Love Island alum that’s been linked with a spot on CBB this year.
Back in October, The Mirror reported that boxer and reality star Tommy Fury was “producers’ top pick” for the Celebrity Big Brother line-up. He’d previously been linked with a stint on I’m A Celebrity, following his much-publicised split from Molly-Mae Hague last year, but this proved not to be the case.
Instead, his former castmate Maura Higgins was cast on I’m A Celebrity, finishing in a not-too-shabby seventh place overall.
Annie Kilner
Annie Kilner found herself in the headlines last year thanks to her footballer husband Kyle Walker.
The Sun reported in February that Annie was eyeing £750K to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house, on the proviso that the influencer with whom her husband had an affair would not be making an appearance.
However, it was later claimed that she’d turned down ITV’s offer as she wouldn’t want to leave her young children.
Amanda Abbington
Following the controversy surrounding Amanda Abbington’s stint on Strictly Come Dancing in 2023, which led to an investigation the following year, The Sun claimed that CBB bosses “wanted to sign her up” in the hope she would shine more light on the scandal.
However, she was reported to have “discreetly turned down the offer”, after being turned off reality TV by her stint on Strictly.
Eamonn Holmes
Eamonn Holmes is a self-professed CBB fanatic, even entering the house as part of a task during the reality show’s tenure on Channel 5.
He’s also been rumoured to be in consideration as a housemate for as far back as we can remember, and this year’s series is no exception.
As reported by The Mirror, CBB producers thought Eamonn’s recent split from Ruth Langsford would make him an intriguing housemate, but the daytime star is said to have turned down the offer as the result of his ongoing health issues.
Gary Lineker
If you’re thinking to yourself, “surely Gary Lineker is too big for Celebrity Big Brother?”… well, you’re not wrong.
Speaking on the podcast The Rest Is Football, the outgoing Match Of The Day host claimed his team had already been approached by CBB since he announced he would be leaving the long-running football show last year.
“My agent sent it through jokingly, and he replied, ‘Oh yes, Gary’s fee will be £50 million!’,” he quipped. “He did it completely as a joke, obviously, and they came back and said, ‘Oh, that’s a little bit… it’s not within our budget’.”
When co-host Alan Shearer claimed his guest was “going to get asked to go on all of them”, he fired back: “I can tell you now, don’t bother asking.”
Interestingly, Gary’s name has also come up during reports about the potential cast of the celebrity version of The Traitors, which is also set to air later this year.
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