BIG CHANGE
What Big Brother 17’s housemates are doing now after series made Andrew Tate famous – from MAFS star to jailed celeb
BIG Brother 17 brought us plenty of drama with a string of explosive rows, memorable contestants and dramatic fallouts.
From misogynistic maniac Andrew Tate to a care campaigner who had an affair with John Terry and a MAFS star, the series had it all.
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Not only was it the first series to feature two separate houses, but the roll call of reality fodder was off the small-screen scale.
Cue woman-exploiter, rape-and-human-trafficking-accused ‘influencer’ Andrew Tate and a plethora of fame-hungry contestants.
The BB jackpot was reduced to £70,000 after winner Jason Burrill claimed £20,000 from the prize fund during the annihilation task, while Jackson Blyton and Alex Cannon bagged £5,000 each during the task.
Not forgetting a pre-Married At First Sight Aussie bombshell, a celebrity chef’s troubled offspring and an assortment of reality star newbies destined for OnlyFans fame. What could go wrong?
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Alex Cannon
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Liverpool lad Alex was a commercial model appearing in ad campaigns for Men's Health, Men's Fitness and Adidas, and lasted until week 8 in the BB house.
Following the show he featured in MTV series Judge Geordie with pal Vicky Pattison.
The entrepreneur turned his back on reality TV, launched men's jewellery brand Craftd in 2018 and is now a multimillionaire with the seal of approval from Dragon’s Den star Steven Bartlett and is a dad-of-two.
Andrew Tate
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Meet BB’s darkest ever housemate. The self-proclaimed misogynist is awaiting trial in Romania charged with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women.
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The British-American ‘influencer’, who has over 8.1 million followers on X (Twitter), got booted off Big Brother in week 2 after a video emerged of him appearing to attack a woman.
On his website he states: “I’m Andrew Tate - World Champion Kickboxer & Multi-Millionaire. I grew up broke and now I am a multi millionaire. I teach the deserving the secrets to modern wealth creation.”
The former Luton council estate resident is famed for his extravagant lifestyle, spreading toxic masculinity amongst young men and money scamming.
Tate previously quoted that a wife ‘is her husband’s property’ and ‘rape victims should bear responsibility for being raped’.
His brother and co-accused Tristan previously admitted: "I've seen men sell cars, TVs... This guy's gran passed away and they were waiting for the sale of the house. When the house was sold he'd get £20,000 and promised it to [a model], to pay for her fake financial problem.”
Andy West
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Journalist Andy West came fourth place in the Big Brother final and opened up last year about crashing following his reality TV stint. The Londoner told The Sun: “It all made me very depressed. I hit a massive low a year after Big Brother. I was in a massive black hole, exhausted and lost really.
“I got in with some dodgy people. There was a lot of drink and drugs, and I was encouraged to become a reality TV star, and that was not who I was, and I found it quite embarrassing. You are seen as cheap. If you try and do anything serious and interesting after that programme then good luck to you. It’s very difficult.”
Andy met Goodnight Mister Tom actor Nicholas Robinson in 2017, they got engaged on Christmas Day in 2019 and were married in St Ives in 2020.
The former BBC employee is now a Sunday Times best-selling author.
Charlie Doherty
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From BB to double EEs, stripper and former Catholic school student Charlie Doherty from Folkestone was evicted from the Big Brother 17 house in week 5.
The ex of fellow housemate, Jason Burrill, welcomed a baby boy in 2022 and calls herself ‘your favourite MILF’.
Over on OnlyFans, she says: “Subscribe to see my huge DOUBLE E boobs,” including ‘new content daily, dick ratings, naughty videos in your DMs and much more’.
Chelsea Singh
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Business owner and property developer Chelsea Singh was evicted from the house in week seven, during which he caused drama by ‘threatening’ fellow housemate Hughie Maughan.
In 2017, he was handed a harassment order for allegedly threatening to kill interior designer, The Real Housewives of DC star Catherine Ommanney.
He later set up agency, Hidden Events, and has released remixes on Apple Music.
On his time in the house, Singh said: "The reason I stayed away from Big Brother is because I am a fully-fledged international DJ and music producer and I'm smashing it everywhere.
"I used to be a DJ in the Ministry of Sound 30 years ago, I never needed a TV show to carry me, I've always been good at this game. I lead by being a professional DJ flying across the world… I don't want the light to be taken away from that as for me Big Brother is nothing."
Emma Jensen / Victoria Jensen
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Identical Essex twins Emma and Victoria went into the house as self-professed international DJs, models and dancers.
Emma made it to week 5 after multiple attempts to escape and a dalliance with Marco Pierre Jr., while Victoria’s stay in the BB abode was short lived and she walked out on day 5.
The sisters are ‘House, Techno and Underground Electronic Music’ DJs.
Emma appeared in a handheld vacuum cleaner TV advert last year and previously DJ’d on Made in Chelsea at a rooftop party.
Their website states that ‘the last decade has been spent earning their position on the international party circuit’.
Evelyn Ellis
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Marketing manager and model Evelyn Ellis from Down Under came in fifth place in the BB final.
The ‘spicy Australian creative & TV personality’ went onto host podcast, The Bad Grades podcast, and in 2023 added to her reality TV CV and appeared on small-screen remote-stopped Married at First Sight Australia.
The former nightclub hostess, who was rumoured to be dating Alex Cannon in the house, recently confirmed her union with fellow MAFS groom Duncan James.
Georgina Cantwell
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Georgina Cantwell from Kent made it to week 4 in the reality TV house and got engaged to fellow housemate Jackson Blyton, but they split four months later.
She appeared on E4 reality show Taking New York with former Love Island star Jamie Jewitt and on E4 reality TV show 5-Star Hotel with Joey Essex In 2018.
Georgina now runs fashion and conservation brand, Mahalo, and has a design agency.
Hughie Maughan
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Irish traveller Hughie Maughan was the Big Brother 17 runner up and got engaged to Ryan after leaving the house but they parted ways in 2020.
On leaving the infamous house, he previously said: “I have had death threats from other members of the travelling community to my family.” He went on to appear on Dancing With The Stars Ireland where he entertained with his disastrous fake tan.
The online creator has signed up to share ‘sexy online content’ on Only Fans to ‘show off his new bum lift’ and says his account isn’t ‘overly explicit’.
“I just post content where I feel really body confident, I’m all about body confidence and body positivity. Some of the content is sexy, but it’s not really any different than girls posting bikini pictures or guys posting in their underwear and stuff,” he said.
Jackson Blyton
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Nottingham model, Jackson Blyton, came third place in the Big Brother final following a turbulent relationship with Georgina Cantwell and a swift split on the outside world.
The dad-of-one to son Kash has previously dated singer Rita Ora. He said: "I dated Rita for a couple of months, but it wasn't anything serious."
The Select model is also a ‘sprinting and conditioning coach’ and Rushford Park football manager.
Jason Burrill
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Actor and body double, Jason Burrill from Brighton, was the lucky winner of the series and struck up a relationship with Charlie Doherty in the house. Some viewers claimed runner-up Hughie was robbed and it was a ‘fix’.
The property developer, charity patron and philanthropist has since appeared in The Serpent (2018), The Dark Return of Time (2017) and was Dave Bautista’s body double in James Bond 1016 movie, Spectre. He regularly flexes his muscles and takes part in charity rugby matches.
Jayne Connery
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Former model, journalist and campaigner Jayne Connery came sixth place in the series with the aim of raising awareness for
dementia charity Care Campaign for the Vulnerable (CCFTV), in honour of her late mum.
Back in 1999, the ex Virgin Atlantic Airways employee had a five-month affair with John Terry and encountered then-England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson.
The Buckinghamshire blonde has gone on to become a keynote speaker, fundraiser, safety in care champion and director, and is continuing her mission to look after the elderly.
She has since been nominated as a Leader in Care Award by Care Home Professional magazine and said previously: “I wanted to give residents and their families a voice. These people are some of the most vulnerable in society.
“I founded CCFTV officially in my spare bedroom in 2016 and opened a petition on the Government’s website calling for the installation of CCTV cameras to protect care home residents from abuse and neglect.”
Lateysha Grace
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The Valleys star Lateysha Grace made waves on BB and lasted until week 6, when she twerked on live TV and accidentally flashed her backside.
The former accounts administrator, hairdresser and fish ’n’ chipper landed her own TV show, MTV’s Million Dollar Baby and has since appeared on Celebrity Ex On The Beach and Just Tattoo Of Us.
The Welsh mum is now involved with a new Love Island-style MTV reality show, owns children’s clothing company, Baby on Trend, is ambassador for Fashion Nova and a qualified cosmetic injector.
Laura Carter
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Laura Carter made it to week 17 and recently admitted she ‘needed therapy’ after her Big Brother stint. The fitness and wellness blogger is now a mum and co-owns a supplement company.
The OnlyFans model has appeared in episodes of Doctors, Emmerdale and E4’s Young, Free & Single prior to BB with her MAFS friend Nathanial Valentino.
She opened up in 2022 about her experience after leaving the show and called it ‘the darkest, loneliest time of her life’. She added: "My life changed but it literally ruined my life. It ruined it."
On its return, she told followers: “As much as I’ve been dreading the shows come back and have wanted to avoid it because of my own personal negative experience, I’ve decided I want to look at it with totally fresh eyes & watch the new series. I think ITV are going to make it amazing (& positive!) again.”
Marco Pierre White Jr.
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Colourful son of the renowned chef, Marco Pierre White Jr., was the first to be evicted in week 2.
After Big Brother, he returned to modelling, but slipped down a dark route and appeared in court numerous times.
Last year, the former heroin addict was sentenced to 18 months in prison for shoplifting, possessing a knife, possessing heroin and a racially aggravated public order offence. He was released in 2023 and has converted to Islam to stay clean and has vowed to never touch drugs again.
He admitted recently: “More than £1million has wasted because of my addictions. But Islam has helped me get through everything. I have been in rehab 17 times and being in prison has made me realise that enough is enough.”
Following his ordeal, the dad-of-one is now set on becoming a chef and focusing on being a parent.
Natalie Rowe
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Former dominatrix Natalie Rowe was evicted in week 3. The ex high-class sex worker claims to have entertained a catalogue of billionaires, bankers, actors, sport stars and government ministers. She rose to fame when a photo of her and The Chancellor of England - George Osborne - became public.
The BLM campaigner, who founded the UK's first Caribbean, African, Brazilian escort agency, has written a tell-all book called Whipping Up A Storm. She states in her social media bio: “The cream always rises to the top, and that’s moi. FEEL NO FEAR and do it anyway. BORIS JOHNSON is a lowlife crook.”
Ryan Ruckledge
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Tanning supremo, Ryan Ruckledge, was evicted in week 6. The Blackpool lad’s engagement to fellow housemate, Hughie, was called off soon after.
After Big Brother, Ryan has become an influencer and has 3 millions likes on TikTok.
Last year, he appeared on This Morning and told viewers about being hospitalised after getting a ‘fox-eye’ facelift cosmetic treatment with a 'horrific' infection.
He said: “When I did go out people were staring at my face like I was some kind of freak. It really did affect me mentally.”
Sam Giffen
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Model and celebrity stylist Sam Giffen from Blackpool made it to week 7 in the house and in a shock twist, he was evicted from the house just two days before the final.
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The ex boyfriend of Ryan Ruckledge and former runway model now owns his own hair salon and has cut the hair of reality royalty including Charlotte Dawson and Tommy Mallet.
Big Brother 2023 continues every night except Saturdays at 9pm on ITV2
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