Celebrity Big Brother star reveals show secrets you don’t see – from ‘guinea pig housemates’ to secret interview process

CELEBRITY Big Brother icon Chantelle Houghton has lifted the lid on the secret processes housemates had to go through before even being on the show. 

The 40-year-old star made major headlines in 2006 when she became the first non-celebrity to ever appear on - becoming a permanent housemate after convincing the other stars she was in a girl group they’d never heard of. 

Chantelle later went on to have a relationship and one-year marriage to Preston from The Ordinary Boys after they fell in love in the house. 

Speaking to Vicky Pattison on her podcast, , Chantelle spoke about how she managed to land the lucrative position that would change her life. 

“I must have had 30 auditions all dotted around London and it’s so secretive as well,” she explained of the process to get into the house, saying she initially tried to enter the normal series the summer before. 

“One guy asked me to meet him in the Nero on Tottenham Court Road and he said he’d have a cap on. He came up to me and gave me a note with an address on it,” she said. 

“It was to meet somebody else at the Embankment, like this tube station, so off I am back on the tube again and this other person came to collect me, and took me up to this hotel. 

“It was just like that, it was like 30 different locations that I went to. But I didn’t get into the summer one.” 

During another attempt to get on the show, Chantelle revealed she was part of a tester group of housemates ahead of time, hoping it would pave the way to her becoming an actual contestant. 

“I don’t know if you knew this but they put in guinea pig housemates, like two weeks before the show goes live,” she said. “So I got picked up on Monday, went into the Big Brother house, there were no crowds outside or anything but the door is shut, and you’re meant to stay there for a whole week. 

“But I got given a task on the first day, and I had to make everyone put me up for eviction, my secret task. It was horrible, I had to be horrible. And I got evicted on the Wednesday, and I thought that was it, taken home never to be heard of again.” 

“Then the real show came on, and I recognised a few of them, Dennis, the Scottish guy,” she added. “He actually got thrown out for spitting on someone…” 

Dancer Dennis McHugh appeared on the ninth series of the show in 2008, and lasted 23 days before being removed from the house for aggressive behaviour. 

After being drawn into an argument started by two other contestants, Dennis got in trouble after allegedly spitting on Mohamed Mohamed and yelling expletives at him. 

The show’s live feed was forced off-air as the house was separated, with Dennis removed completely.  

Dennis later claimed he only made a ‘spitting motion’ at Mohamed, and told Sunday Mirror: “I'm ashamed of what I did and I totally regret it. I am sorry for what happened.

“I'm bitterly disappointed. I am just looking forward to getting back home to my family now.”

Celebrity Big Brother starts March 4 on ITV and will stream on ITVX.