Celebrity Big Brother is set to return for its 23rd series on Monday, March 4, 2024, airing on ITV for the first time since 2010. The show, which has been off screens since 2018, previously aired on Channel 5 for 15 seasons. As the new series approaches, we look back at past winners and their lives today.
Jack Dee won the first series in 2001, a Comic Relief special. The comedian spent eight days in the house with Anthea Turner, Chris Eubank, and others. Despite winning, Dee has criticised the show's treatment of contestants and refuses to allow clips of his appearance to be shown. In 2024, he is touring the UK with BBC Radio 4's 'I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue'.
Take That star Mark Owen won the second series, beating Les Dennis with 77% of the vote. His victory helped revive his career, and the band reunited in 2005. Owen released his fifth solo album 'Land of Dreams' in 2022 and now sports a moustache, which he says started as a beard but became patchy.
Bez, real name Mark Berry, won the first paid series in 2005. He admitted the show 'pulled him out of financial trouble', but was declared bankrupt in 2008. Now living in Porthleven, Cornwall, Bez enjoys fishing for mackerel and lobster, and has appeared on Gogglebox with fellow Happy Mondays star Shaun Ryder.
Chantelle Houghton, the only non-celebrity to win, entered the house in 2006 and convinced housemates she was in fictional band Kandy Floss. Her romance with The Ordinary Boys' Preston grabbed headlines; they later married and divorced. She then had a daughter with Alex Reid, another Celebrity Big Brother winner, but they split months later.
