Big Brother 2026 winner Rochelle Rackham has admitted she begged producers on four occasions to let her leave the house and said she no longer recognises herself after watching her behaviour on screen.
Rochelle, who became the oldest woman to win the show, was crowned winner after eight weeks of the ITV series, taking home the £100,000 prize pot. Her win was met with boos from the live audience, and hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best struggled to contain the crowd during the final interview.
Rochelle's first TV interview since her win
Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Monday, November 9, in her first TV interview since leaving the house, Rochelle told hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls that she did not pack enough personal items because she expected to be evicted within a week.
She said: "I didn't take enough stuff in with me because I was so convinced I'd be there for maybe a week, and when it went on and on it was like omg I'm never going to get out of this h**l hole. And they wouldn't let me go, four times I begged them to go."
Rochelle described one occasion when she spent about three hours in the Diary Room, refusing to leave and laying on the chair while the producers turned the lights down.
'I don't even know who I am'
Opening up about her personality away from the cameras, Rochelle confessed she is normally quiet and mostly talks about horses, but said she changed inside the house.
She said: "I've turned. I don't even know who I am, I watch it and I'm like I'm a bit mental, they're all like scared of me and I loved it."
Rochelle also revealed she was keen to speak her mind during face-to-face nominations, despite other housemates being "too scared" to name who they really wanted to nominate.
Reaction to her first video message
Discussing her first video message to viewers, posted on social media after her win, Rochelle said she was told to say "get the last word" but had no idea what it meant at the time. She said she found it "the funniest thing" she had ever said and does not even remember saying it.
Big Brother can be streamed on ITVX.
