Chantelle Houghton shows off 5st weight loss in bikini after revealing how fame ruined her life & made her bald
CHANTELLE Houghton slipped into a bright pink bikini as she showed off her 5st weight loss.
The Celebrity Big Brother, who shot to fame in 2006, recently opened up about how fame ruined her life and made her bald.
But now the 40-year-old, has never looked or felt better — having ditched the fame game.
Chantelle showed off her trim figure in the fuchsia bikini top and matching bottoms in Spain.
The former reality star was seen strolling along the beach in Marbella, while dipping her toes in the water.
Swapping Essex for a warmer climate, the star was also spotted relaxing on a sun lounger during her winter getaway.
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She then flashed her perky bottom and toned thighs while strutting her stuff on the sandy beach.
Big Brother fans will remember that Chantelle was sent into the house nearly two decades ago to trick the other celebrities into thinking she too was a star.
And the bubbly Essex girl soon became one, commanding six-figure sums for magazine interviews and marrying Preston in a gown made by Princess Diana’s wedding dress designer.
But the star admitted that being skyrocketed into the limelight had some negative consequences.
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“I needed to step out of the spotlight for my mental health,” said told The Sun.
“I was going through a really awful time. I was abused for a very, very long time.
“I lost myself in a lot of misery and I’m getting myself back bit by bit and enjoying being the person I always was.”
Viewers fell in love with her overnight and she emerged the winner, having struck up a romance with fellow housemate, pop star Preston.
After their divorce in November 2007, Chantelle went on to have several high-profile relationships, including with TV presenter Rav Wilding and cross-dressing cage fighter Alex Reid — with whom she shares daughter Dolly, now 11.
Fans were transfixed not just by her love life but by her struggles with her weight, and she became known as a yo-yo dieter.
And it’s not just Chantelle’s weight that has significantly changed from when we last saw her on our screens.
When she entered the Big Brother house she had blonde extensions — but the signature look made her locks fall out.
Now she has ditched the hair add-ons and embraced her natural brunette colour.
She says: “Because I was so blonde, and due to the pull of the extensions, I ended up with so many bald patches.
“So I had the extensions all taken out, went dark and just do weekly Kerastase treatments on my hair and take care of myself now."
Since divorcing, Chantelle has been engaged twice, to Alex Reid in 2011 and property developer and alloy wheel repairer Michael Strutt, who she split from in 2021.
In an emotional Instagram post last November, Chantelle opened up about the fact she had suffered “narcissistic abuse and coercive control” in a past relationship.
She wrote: “For so long I felt alone and isolated and I felt like no one knew what I was going through or how I was feeling.” Telling the world about it was “healing”.
Now Chantelle says she has emerged on the other side.
She says: “Right now all I care about is that I’m happy with me.
“Years ago, I would always think ‘you’ll find your happiness in someone else, someone else will fix you, make you happy’.
“But actually I’ve realised that it’s yourself that you need to be happy with, and I’m happy on my own.
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“When you go through trauma and hard times, you understand a deeper level of things, and I found myself and I know who I am and where I want to be.
“I’m in such a great place now, I’ve got a plan for my future and I’m excited about the next chapter of my life.”
