9.14pm: The talk's still about that Jasmine business. We're going quiet while the show's on - 9.30pm on @channel5_tv! In a bit...
To those saying Brad isn't a celeb and shouldn't enter #CBB just wait...told he's already had arguments with Jim, Dappy, Luisa and Casey!
never heard of him.
Calling it now think that stuff about Linda cutting her wrists is complete and utter bollox!
Small print actually says " Nolan resorted to cutting herself on CBB " C5 would have removed her from the show if spotted!
Channel 5 and the Daily Star are trying to set jim up, don't let them win... let JIM WIN!
10.30pm: We're back! Looks like it's bedtime. Lights are out in the bedroom. Jim and Casey chat in the dark
Inane, vain and terminally moronic: The pathetic reality of life in the Celebrity Big Brother house... Three weeks ago, Liz Jones began her toughest assignment. This is her deliciously barbed verdict
By Liz Jones
PUBLISHED: 22:03, 25 January 2014 | UPDATED: 22:03, 25 January26
I don't do nude. Earlier in the day Iâd watched, aghast, as Sam, a 23-year-old reality TV âstarâ, took a long, soapy shower in her bikini, leaving the glass door propped wide for all the world, or at least up to 3.8âmillion primetime viewers, to see. Sam Faiers, who I did not know until January 3, the day I staggered into the Celebrity Big Brother house, appears on ITV2âs The Only Way Is Essex, a programme on which she apparently broke off her engagement to a young man who has DayGlo teeth and who is unable to tell the time.
Not for the first moment in my two-and-a-half weeks in the house did I wonder what on earth I was doing allowing myself to be surrounded by mirrors, cameras and microphones when I cannot bear my own image or the sound of my voice.
I was also surrounded by celebrities so stupid that when I said to housemate Lee Ryan, a boy band member, that I couldnât open the loo door with my bare hands because of a germ phobia, he said: âOh, you have an ATM.â
Liz Jones, pictured in the Celebrity Big Brother diary room, was evicted from the reality show on Wednesday
I corrected him, saying, No, I have OCD, and of course he retorted with that old celebrity rejoinder, high-fiving me and declaring: âYeah, well, babe. Iâm dyslexic.â
Iâd decided to enter the house because I needed the rest (!), because some âeasyâ, silly money wouldnât go amiss, and because I felt that simply ignoring reality TV, now it has reached saturation point, would make me not only arrogant, but hopelessly out of touch with the secretaries, supermarket till operatives and hair salon creatives for whom shows such as Made In Chelsea are a distraction from their own lives.
Above all, though, I felt I should do it because for the past 14 years Iâve written reality journalism. A camera might not have been zooming in on my orange-peel thighs, but my pen has speared my depression, my chronic shyness, my loved onesâ.â.â. You name it, Iâve exposed it via a metaphorical open shower door.
Iâve made my living, too, eviscerating âstarsâ, especially the type who never went to RADA, delivering my verdict after spending an hour with them, or never having even met them.
So, two days before entering the house, I was picked up by a people-carrier and carted off to Elstree. Iâd been given a codename, âLettuceâ (the CBB production team had been emailed a list of my eating requirements, hence the epithet), so news of my confinement wouldnât leak.
More...
- 'I've seen you without makeup and I STILL want to be with you... every day': Ollie Locke wears his heart on his sleeve as he opens up to Sam Faiers in Celebrity Big Brother
- Sam Faiers rushed to hospital following major health scare as she falls ill for second time during Celebrity Big Brother
- Lee Ryan dismisses 'friends with benefits' relationship with Casey Batchelor during furious Diary Room rant in Celebrity Big Brother
I was told to wear a beanie and dark glasses so that when I arrived at the ghastly budget hotel, the sort of place that dispenses foam from an appliance nailed to the wall, I wouldnât be rumbled.
My phones, laptop and book were wrestled from my sweaty palms and, after corridors and lifts were âsweptâ by young women whispering into walkie talkies, for all the world like CIA operatives, I was shut in a room for two days with a young man who was to be my chaperone, an aspiring actor called Jonny. There was no minibar, no TV, no landline, no escape.
I was dreading 9pm on launch night, my only comforting thought that at least Iâm so deaf I wouldnât be able to hear the boos. As the hour approached, I was blindfolded, giant headphones placed over my ears, so that when I was steered into a waiting line of limos I would not glimpse the other 11 famous people heading inside. They shouldnât have worried.
When I emerged onto the CBB red carpet through that giant Orwellian eye, to be told I would be handcuffed to a young man so small he could have been a charm on a bracelet and wearing trousers so low slung he resembled a toddler with a filled nappy, I had no idea he was a pop star called Dappy.
Worse was to follow.
Child's play: Liz reluctantly dresses up with her Celebrity Big Brother housemates
As I stood with Dappy, at the bottom of those famous stairs, he was forced to become my human Google: âPop star or footballer?â I would hiss as I met my fellow housemates. It was going to be a very long three weeks indeed.
And, at first, my housemates didnât disappoint. An American actress-slash-model called Jasmine immediately got drunk (not one night went by without cheap alcohol), missed parking her bony arse on a gilt chair, and crashed to the floor. She cut her leg, but when given a plaster in the Diary Room, stuck it randomly above the wound.
There was a pneumatic young woman from Essex who, on a long, wet afternoon, when asked to name an English city, would say hopefully, âCornwall?â, a Nolan sister, light entertainment legend Lionel Blair, four-times heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield, who never lost his look of bewilderment, never once changed his sheets or towel and had never seen the show so he thought he could go to Bond Street shopping every day, and comedian Jim Davidson. I had to concentrate very hard not to call him Freddie, mixing him up with his hamster-eating colleague in comedy.
Nobody liked me. I told each one I am profoundly deaf, but ironically they didnât hear me, as they only wanted to talk about themselves.
'Have I had a threesome? I'm lucky if I ever get a twosome...'
Ollie, who made his name in Made In Chelsea, became so brown over the next few days he reminded me of Peter Sellers playing an Indian character in The Party (a film I doubt heâs seen).
When forced to express an opinion by Big Brother, who would boom at us at all hours of the day and night, Ollie was so traumatised at the possibility of not being liked by someone somewhere, a tear snaked down his face, leaving a white snailâs trail.
I became more and more alienated, bored with the inane chatter. Even the so-called âotherâ intelligent woman, Apprentice runner-up Luisa Zissman, who never failed to tell us of her three businesses, and the fact her new man bought her a Birkin bag for Christmas, was as hyperactive as a bee in a jam jar, and kept asking me if Iâd ever had a threesome. âIâm lucky if I ever get a twosome,â I told her drily.
At the dining table after yet another meal (these people could eat for England!), they were all talking about the perils of fame, having to pose in other peopleâs selfies in the street and so forth, so I butted in nervously: âI get no benefit from being well-known at all.â
âThatâs because youâre not famous,â said Jim, prompting me to wail in the Diary Room (I never pressed the âeyeâ bell for admission, only entering when summoned): âI have millions of readers! If I were in a wheelchair they would have to be nice to me!â
Liz says: 'Nobody liked me. I told each one I am profoundly deaf, but ironically they didn't hear me, as they only wanted to talk about themselves'
Sometimes it was horrendous: being woken at 3am by bright lights and klaxons; stupid tasks in costume (a labrador dog soon entered proceedings, never to be seen again when I shouted that I would report Channel 5 to my friend at the RSPCA); the food deprivation, as being confined in a space pod with Lee, followed by two days of inedible slop, meant I went for four days without even a cup of instant coffee.
Amid all that and the otherwise monotonous routine, I began to forget I was on a TV set, and I started to get to know my housemates.
Linda Nolan, despite a Noâ3 hit record, millions of sales, and eight years on stage in Blood Brothers, had been surviving on benefits; she had battled with breast cancer, and in the past year has lost her sister, husband and mother.
Lee, who as a member of Blue sold millions of records, revealed one afternoon in the garden he doesnât even own a flat, and any change from his CBB fee after buying his mum a new Citroen would go towards a deposit.
'Financial advice from Jim Davidson? He lost all seven of his houses'
He was asking Jim for financial advice; ironic, given Jim told us he had owned seven houses, but lost them all to the taxman, or to one of his four ex-wives. Jim had been booked to enter CBB the year before, but had been arrested at the airport by the same squad investigating Jimmy Savile, even though there were no underage sex accusations. No charges were brought, but he lost a yearâs worth of earnings: each time he was saved by the British public, you could see the relief in his eyes.
Sam told me she earns just ÂĢ50 a day on her TV show; she dons her famous false
lashes because she suffers from trichotillomania, a compulsion to pull out her own real hair.
Dappy, who was covered in so many tattoos I was driven to reading them all one evening, so desperate was I for a book, and who in a general knowledge test scored only six per cent, which embarrassed him hugely, proved himself a gentleman when for the third night in a row I was sat in the bedroom toilet, vomiting from the stress. He held my hair from my face, and rubbed my back, cooing all the while.
But it was the glamour model, Casey, who was the most surprising of all, telling me she had never once achieved orgasm from a man, that she had been bullied at school for her big breasts, and never managed to make female friends. And there was me, thinking if only I were perfect, I would have sailed through life being adored.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, there was the âlove triangleâ between Lee, Casey and the American, Jasmine. I donât believe anyone had sex in the house; they merely kissed each other.
Jasmine is the woman who, when I nominated her for being too beautiful, rounded on me in tears to say that I should not have said I wanted to kill myself as her father had committed suicide when she was a child, and that being prejudiced against beauty is tantamount to racism.
There were the arguments, daily, between Jim and Linda: she was âevilâ; he âa chauvinist pigâ.
Liz waves to the crowd on Wednesday night after she was evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house
In one of my tasks, to write a news story about my time in the house and read it to my housemates, I did in fact get to the bottom of what happened decades before in Frank Carsonâs dressing room, a small dark place that now has its own Twitter account. But I told Big Brother I would not be revealing it as I was not about to upset a woman â even one who said on the show âIâm a Nolan not a nunâ â who was still grieving and who was driven to self-harm in the toilet due to her distress over Jimâs behaviour.
Nor would I reveal the housemate who became so upset one night at how he thought he was being manipulated by the show that he took sleeping tablets mixed with alcohol. Or that the housemates were all desperate in their own way.
Much has been made of the fact boards with a script were held up by production staff for a Towie versus Chelsea skit, but the inscriptions said merely âGet a pair of shoes from your bagâ and âSing a songâ.
Forced by these games to interact, like a team-building exercise, I gradually became bolder. When Evander Holyfield was recounting how he fell off a horse, which he then punched with a left hook, I turned on him, telling him that, given his profession, he should have learned some self-control. This confrontation, when I said I would âstab anyone who punched one of my horsesâ, was shown 15 minutes before his surprise eviction. I felt like Henry Cooper, felling a giant.
As eviction night came round (I survived three public votes), I was terrified at the prospect of having to face the world, but equally scared were I made to face yet another day of monotony interspersed with fear.
One day, I sat in the Diary Room and said, âBig Brother, everyone hates me. Iâm just a blob.â âLiz, you are not a blob,â Big Brother reassured me. It was strangely comforting to have a disembodied voice on my side.
When I finally left the house on Wednesday night (I was always nominated because the others knew of my extreme homesickness; they would wink conspiratorially), my newfound friends stood at the bottom of the stairs, making my trademark hand gesture depicting my much missed puppies. I found to my surprise I already missed them, a group of people who are simply trying to make their way in the world.
Making a splash: This CBB bathtub scene, between Liz and Luisa Zissman, took Twitter by storm
When I got out I learned, from the TV audience, the executive producer, the on-set psychiatrist, my boyfriend and later from men and women who would come up to me in the street that âthe scene in the bath tub was genius, it was comedy goldâ.â.â. It was the funniest, most tweeted moment so far .â.â. and must be one of the most watched clips on YouTube in the history of the showâ.â.â.â!â
Really? Me, in a bath? Near the end of my confinement, Luisa, she of the hair extensions and insane levels of chutzpah, was given a secret task: to make me laugh out loud. Unbeknown to her, Iâd been told I must on no account even giggle, as the whole house would suffer.
I retreated to the bathroom and, having been denied a burkini, put on my swimming costume, wrapped myself in a towel, and stepped into thick bubbles. Still, Luisa tracked me down. And so I drew on every bad thought, every setback in my life, to keep me from laughing.
I dug up âpoor dead Squeakyâ, said my mum will probably die while Iâm in this kindergarten, that my boyfriend will dump me having now seen me in harsh lighting, that my old-lady bottom resembles a melting Viennetta, and that the only plus point living among all these beautiful young women has been that âWhatshername has developed a boil!â.
This series has generated 2.5âmillion tweets. Reading them, people were saying, instead of my usual death threats and insults, how much they liked me.
âYou are a stunning, kind, wonderful woman,â said one. Katie Piper wrote âLiz is hugely misunderstood!â, while Phillip Schofield, who normally tweets that Iâm bitter and unhinged, wrote: âHahahaha. Thatâs the best Liz has been!â
I had more viewers, for that bath scene than watched Nigella Lawson on Channel 4.
'Instead of insults and death threats I was getting compliments'
Iâve changed, too. I know now why these celebrities give up their privacy, and rarely see their own families because they are always on tour. The thought I might have cheered someone up on a cold dark night because of my rant in a bath tub is a nice one.
And I think I will be kinder now Iâm out, too. At a post-eviction shoot the next day, the photographer was saying that Jasmine, when she left the house, was âbloody awful. She said she slipped a disc but she was in six-inch heels!â, and that Casey, given her breasts are real, âis over, now theyâve droppedâ.
I hope Casey, only 29, finds the upshot of ageing will be a man who wants to please her, not just help himself.
In Boots just now, women shopping in their lunch hour came up to me, thrilled: âWe talked about you in the office every day! We were rooting for you! We love you!â Even my ex-husband emailed to say: âYou were a model of grace.â
Thatâs why people want to be famous. Thatâs why they do shows like this one. Love. Entertainment. Itâs as simple as that.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvs...t.html#ixzz2rSCw9WaX Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
11.05pm: @TheDappy and @LeeRyanMusic are up and about again, sharing a snout
11.15pm: After hours, Dappy's advising Lee on how to behave around Casey
11.33pm: The Dappy / Lee conversation continues into the night. Lee maintains he and Casey agreed to 'just be friends' long ago
11.47pm: We've lost count of how many times Lee's said "bruvs" during his #LAD chat with Dappy
12.04am: The epic #LAD chat is over. Lee's in the toilet. Dappy's clambered into bed. Looks like it's the end of Day 23
12.20am: We're looking at an empty House here. We've a feeling we'll have a bunch of wide-awake HMs early tomorrow morning
12.44am: There's nought but a faint Zzzz in the House at the moment in terms of activity
1.00am: Lee's sleepless in Borehamwood and in the smoking area. Penny for 'em, Lee
1.18am: Jim snores. Dappy lifts something to throw at him to stop it. Realises it's a dirty pair of pants. Thinks better of it
1.38am: Important news! Jim has stopped snoring. Nice one, Jim
1.55am: We're signing off. HMs will be livewires tomorrow with all the kip they're getting. See you bright and early
Ch5 site down .
I am off now
thanks erin
NEWS
Day 23 round-up: A ticking time bomb
After a topsy turvy evening that saw Luisa and Jim manage a conversation without a slanging match, the housemates awoke feeling chipper on Day 23.
Little did they know, Big Brother was about to lob a great big cat amongst the pigeons.
The For Who the Bell Tolls task introduced a grandfather clock into the Living Room. When the timepiece chimed, housemates had to take on statue like status and not move a muscle. To make things a little trickier, BB had a few surprises in store.
Sam's mum stepped over the threshold, Ollie got a smacker from his pooch and the boys from Blue left Lee with a non too subtle mantra (One Love).
But that was nothing compared to the shocker that was Jasmine's entrance into the living room! Awkward doesn't do it justice. After laying into a wide-eyed frozen-faced Casey, the spurned Lee lover let rip into our 'confused' boy-band lothario.
The fallout was momentous with Jim acting as a shoulder to cry on for Casey and the lads (Dappy, Ollie and Jim) offering Lee a few pearls of wisdom. Once again, for Lee, sorry seemed to be the hardest word.
The day's drama took its toll on out housemates and they were in all bed by midnight. This task is ticking over into tomorrow. What will Big Brother throw at the housemates next? Watch this space.
8.02am: Morning! If you're awake at this time on a Sunday, we salute you!
8.16am: Ollie has a protective arm over Casey as she sleeps. Aww.
8.29am: Ollie and Casey have upgraded to full on cuddles
8.43am: The housemates are firmly in the land of nod.
8.58am: It's the last Sunday in the House. *Sob*
9.14am: Jim has had a call of nature.
9.31am: The lights are on. Morning housemates!
9.50am: A reminder from BB - "When the lights go on, it's time for housemates to get up and enjoy the day"
10.06am: Casey is still upset about yesterday's drama, but luckily she's got Jim on hand for a lil' cuddle
10.22am: The love triangle is on everyone's lips this morning.
10.36am: Ollie is blow-drying his hair with intense concentration.
10.54am: Sam just dropped a bombshell -"I might paint my nails today". Woah
11.09am: A semi-nude Dappy is prancing around the bathroom.
11.25am: Jim and Luisa are having a civilized conversation. We can't believe our eyes
Day 24: The big freeze continues
There's more surprises in store for our unwitting housemates, as 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' task continues for a second day. The rules are the same â as soon as the giant grandfather clock in the living room rings, the housemates must freeze and become human statues. Once frozen, Big Brother will send in distractions which the housemates must ignore â got that Lee?
Today's surprises will see someone's mum offering motherly advice, a BFF leading a dance troupe and a message of support from a spouse.
Oh and not forgetting the mother of all surprises for one unsuspecting housemate. Want to know what we're talking about? You'll have to stick with us to find out...
Celebrity Big Brother 2014: Linda Nolan 'self-harmed' in the house
Evicted Celebrity Big Brother 2014 housemate Linda Nolan has claimed she self-harmed in the house.
And in true Linda fashion, just like global warming and world poverty (probably), it was all Jim Davidsonâs fault.
She told the Daily Star Sunday newspaper today: âIâve self-harmed in the past and I did it in the house. I hadnât done it since 2012.
âBut thatâs what Jimâs behaviour made me do. He made me feel the need to do it again.â
The 54-year-old told the newspaper that Jim bringing up her late husband in one of their numerous arguments left her depressed in her last week of the show.
âAfter Brian died I selfharmed for more than two years Back then I was very low and went through periods of feeling very suicidal,â she said. âThe only reason I went back to that dark place was because Jim brought me there by bringing up what happened.â
Nolan singer Linda claimed: âJim reminded me how much I miss my husband.
âHe reminded me Brian wasnât going to be there to put his arms around me and make everything okay.â
She continued: âHe said it to cause a row and then denied heâd even said it. Thatâs the kind of person weâre dealing with. It was stooping to the lowest point.
âHe knew it would get to me. When he apologised it made me feel sick. He canât be sorry for it because he knows he shouldnât have said it. Itâs unforgivable.â
Meanwhile, Linda confessed that she found being booed during her exit on Friday night âupsettingâ, but said she wasnât going to hide her true feelings.
âI was horrified by the crowd reaction. It was upsetting. But I was true to myself,â she explained. âI can close my eyes at night because I know Iâve been honest.
âIf the public hate me for that, thereâs nothing I can do.â
Celebrity Big Brother airs nightly on Channel 5.
Read more: http://tellymix.co.uk/reality-...e.html#ixzz2rVHGlHZA
Follow us: @tellymix on Twitter | tellymix on Facebook
Celebrity Big Brother 2014: Lee Ryan gets punished over Jasmine Waltz's return
Lee Ryan is set to be punished by Big Brother over Jasmine Waltzâs return to the house.
Yesterday, housemates were set a task to freeze every time they heard the clock toll.
A giant grandfather clock was put in the living area and would sporadically ring. When the clock rung, housemates had to freeze completely and become human statues.
Housemates were to ignore any surprises and stay frozen in order to win the task. Housemates could only move again when they heard the second clock toll.
Yesterday, the following people entered the house whilst they were frozen:
1. Blue â Blue entered the house singing One Love. Housemates successfully stayed frozen.
2. Samâs Mum (Sue) â Sue entered the house to talk to Sam. Housemates successfully stayed frozen.
3. Ollieâs mum, sister and dog (Sarah, Amelia and Evie) â Sarah and Amelia brought in Ollieâs dog and spoke to Ollie. Housemates successfully stayed frozen.
4. Jasmine Waltz â Jasmine entered the house and confronted Lee and Casey over their behaviour since sheâs left. Lee unfroze and spoke to Jasmine.
As a punishment for unfreezing when Jasmine entered the house yesterday Lee will be called to the diary room and be punished. Big Brother will teach Lee a lesson on how to remain frozen.
The task continues today with more surprises although weâre not sure how they can top yesterdayâs dramaâĶ perhaps with a secret eviction?
Highlights of the task will air tonight on Channel 5 from 9PM.
Read more: http://tellymix.co.uk/reality-...n.html#ixzz2rVHizAWp
Follow us: @tellymix on Twitter | tellymix on Facebook
11.38am: Big Brother has called Lee to the Diary Room. There's a special 'treat' in store when he gets there.
11.56am: As a punishment for unfreezing yesterday, Lee has to freeze in the Diary Rom while the other HMs make him look silly.
12.08am: Another bombshell - "I'm going to paint my toenails today" says Luisa.
12:24pm: Ollie, Lee and Dappy are playing an exciting game of throwing nuts into glasses from a distance. New Olympic sport?
12:26pm: Naturally, health and safety is paramount for all players of the throwing-things-into-a-glass game
12:45pm: A new game is afoot. Dappy and Lee are playing catch with an apple across the living room
12:51pm: THE BELL HAS TOLLED! Housemates are frozen, anticipating a surprise... what could it be?
Lee seemed very pleased to be woken up this morning. Maybe he's in hiding after yesterday's drama.
Take it easy Jim. It is Sunday after all... One question though - do you always wear your booties like that?
'Uncle' Jim and Dappy's relationship has blossomed over the course of CBB, with Jim helping the rap star with everything from breakfast to what clothes to wear.
1:05pm: Casey's mum has left the House, and she's given her plenty to think about. In related news, Lee is looking rather glum