FAME & FORTUNES
Celebrity Big Brother rich list – from Princess Kate’s uncle’s jaw-dropping wealth to Dragons’ Den star worth £30m
There's one star who's become a millionaire despite only shooting to fame in 2022
IT’S the show that left us with memories like Chantelle and Preston's sweet romance... and George Galloway acting like a cat.
And Celebrity Big Brother is back on our screens on Monday for the first time in six years - with some very well-known stars set to cause drama.
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From a Coronation Street legend to iconic X Factor duo Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne reuniting, the line-up is sure to be one for the ages.
But, while they’ve all decided to give up their phones for a month to live with a group of strangers, some celebs would’ve been paid a lot more than others.
We reveal the Celebrity Big Brother rich list - showing who’s worth millions, and who isn’t…
Sharon Osbourne - £174m
It’s no surprise that X Factor legend Sharon Osbourne, 71, is the richest person in this year’s CBB lineup, considering her joint fortune with husband Ozzy.
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In fact, due to her wanting such a huge pay packet from ITV bosses, the multi-millionaire TalkTV host is only going into the house as a special guest for a week.
A source told The Sun: “The fee she wanted was eye-watering and in the end they struck a deal which meant she would go in for a shorter run.”
Sharon, along with her husband Ozzy Osbourne and children Jack and Kelly Osbourne, became an overnight sensation when MTV launched reality TV show The Osbournes in 2002.
The family reportedly earned $20,000 (£16,000) per episode for the first season, but due to their rise in popularity, they allegedly asked for $20million for a 20-episode second season.
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The show ran until 2005, and Sharon went on to be a judge on The X Factor, alongside Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh.
From 2010 to 2021, Sharon was also a co-host on US chat show The Talk, where she allegedly made $1 million (£790k) per season, and she’s now a presenter on TalkTV.
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Louis Walsh - £119m
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Former X Factor judge Louis Walsh earned himself a bumper six-figure deal to enter the CBB house - and insisted he'd only go in if Sharon did.
He previously ruled out taking part, claiming he was focused on his work with boyband Westlife.
Music manager Louis first shot to fame in 2002 as a judge on Popstars: The Rivals, which gave us Girls Aloud.
Louis then moved on to judging X Factor in 2004, for which he earned up to £1million per series, and he remained there until 2017.
As well as Westlife and Girls Aloud, he was the manager of Boyzone and Jedward.
In 2017, it was reported Louis owned four properties in Dublin as well as homes in London and Miami.
He also owns many luxury cars, including a £75,000 Maserati GranTurismo, as well as a huge art collection that boasts an Andy Warhol original believed to be worth around £5million.
Gary Goldsmith - £30m
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Princess Kate's uncle Gary negotiated a hefty contract with the ITV show’s bosses to take part.
The recruitment millionaire is the son of a painter and decorator from West London and grandson of a miner from a pit village in Durham.
He married his first wife, sales executive Miranda Foote, in 1991.
But Gary earned his money after joining IT recruitment company Computer Futures in the Nineties.
Within six months, Carole Middleton’s younger brother was a director and owned shares, and reportedly bought a five-bedroom house in Maidenhead, Berkshire, with a swimming pool and snooker room, invested in a boat, and drove a series of supercars.
In 2005, Gary - who has been married four times - sold his shares in Computer Futures for £17 million and bought an eight-acre villa, named Maison de Bang Bang, in Ibiza, which Prince William and Kate visited in 2006.
He reportedly lent nephew James Middleton £11,000 to help him set up his company selling cake-making kits.
Levi Roots - £30m
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After stepping into Dragons’ Den in 2007 with his Reggae Reggae sauce and getting a £50,000 investment from Peter Jones and Richard Farleigh, Levi Roots became one of the biggest success stories ever from the BBC show.
The sauce is now stocked by most major retailers and the brand now sells many other products.
Reggae Reggae sauce was even outselling Heinz tomato ketchup in Sainsbury’s at one point. “That’s when I knew I’d made it,” Levi said.
In 2010, Levi opened his first restaurant in London but it closed in 2012.
He then opened his first franchise restaurant in December 2015 at Westfield Stratford City but it closed in 2019.
Nowadays, the 65-year-old is a regular on cooking TV shows, including BBC's Ready Steady Cook.
Lauren Simon - £9.9m
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Real Housewives of Cheshire star Lauren Simon was born and bred in Cheshire, coming from a wealthy family background.
Before she joined the cast of the popular ITVBe show in 2015, she worked in PR and marketing for VIP events and nightclubs.
She owns property in Cheshire and Marbella and has landed a number of lucrative business deals outside of the Real Housewives show.
As well as signing as a Celebrity Presenter for Ideal World, she’s also launched her own perfume.
In October 2016, she released her luxury fragrance Lauren Stone Number One, which retails at a bank-busting £120.
magazine estimates that Lauren Simon has a net worth of £6.9million.
On top of this, in an interview in 2020, she revealed she left Real Housewives temporarily in order to finalise her divorce from husband of 10 years Paul Simon (not the singer!), for which she reportedly received a £3million pay-out.
Fern Britton - £5m
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Fern Britton, 66, presented This Morning for six years alongside Phillip Schofield, 61, before she was replaced by Holly Willoughby in 2009 - and has vowed to lift the lid on her fallout with the show in the CBB house.
Nowadays, Fern has moved away from telly and is more well-known as a successful author, worth £5million.
In 2020, after splitting with her husband of 20 years Phil Vickery, Fern moved from their marital home in Buckinghamshire to Cornwall, for a new life with her daughters Grace and Winnie.
That year, Fern said: "I have just realised I live in a house full of dogs, cats, bikes, and daughters and am counting my blessings... before I take the rubbish out, mop some cat sick, and empty the dishwasher.”
She also told , while the house wasn’t “ideal for living in permanently,” she was “happily based in Cornwall,” and staying there indefinitely.
David Potts £2.4m
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Ibiza Weekender star David Potts, 30, has earned his millions through appearing on every reality show going.
Last year the former holiday rep starred in The Big Celebrity Detox alongside Kerry Katona and Love Island's Toby Aromolaran.
His other telly credits include Celebs Go Dating, Celebs on the Farm, Celebrity Karaoke Club and Celebrity Ghost Trip.
And he’s about to star on one of the biggest shows on the box.
Full list of Celebrity Big Brother winners
2001 - Jack Dee
2002 - Mark Owen
2003 - Bez
2006 - Chantelle Houghton
2007 - Shilpa Shetty
2009 - Ulrika Jonsson
2010 - Alex Reid
2011 - Paddy Doherty
January 2012 - Denise Welch
Summer 2012 - Julian Clary
January 2013 - Rylan Clark
Summer 2013 - Charlotte Crosby
January 2014 - Jim Davidson
Summer 2014 - Gary Busey
January 2015 - Katie Price
Summer 2015 - James Hill
January 2016 - Scotty T
Summer 2016 - Stephen Bear
January 2017 - Coleen Nolan
Summer 2017 - Sarah Harding
Nikita Kuzmin - £2m
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Since arriving on Strictly Come Dancing three years ago, professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin, 26, has become a fan favourite.
The Ukrainian-Italian partnered with West End star Layton Williams last year with the pairing mesmerising viewers on their way to the final.
Nikita is a six-time Italian Champion in Latin and Ballroom, and starred in the German version of Strictly called Let’s Dance before making his way over to the UK version.
Ekin Su Cülcüloğlu - £1.6m
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Just months after splitting from Love Island boyfriend Davide Sanclimenti, Ekin Su Cülcüloğlu has had the last laugh after beating him to a place in CBB.
A source told The Sun Davide had been “hounding” ITV for weeks to try and land a meeting with bosses, but was snubbed.
Popular Ekin's signing for the ITV programme comes hot on the heels of her time on the US version of The Traitors, in which she starred alongside John Bercow and heavyweight boxer Deontay Wilder.
The reality star - who has over 3.5million followers on Instagram - was also on this year’s series of Dancing On Ice.
Colson Smith - £790k
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Having joined the cast of Coronation Street in 2011, when he was just 13 years old, actor Colson Smith is most recognised as Craig Tinker.
But Colson, 25, has also dipped his toes into reality TV before, having competed in ITV's The Games in 2022.
He faced off against the likes of Wes Nelson and former Corrie star Ryan Thomas in the Olympics-style sports show.
Off screen, Colson has shed a whopping ten stone after deciding to overhaul his lifestyle during the coronavirus pandemic.
Bradley Riches - £700k
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Bradley Riches, 24, is best known for starring in teen drama Heartstopper.
The actor, who plays James McEwan in the hit Netflix show, is both gay and autistic, and hopes signing up for CBB will help with representation.
A source told The Sun: "He was diagnosed with autism when he was nine and is passionate about being an advocate for his community.
"He's keen to show the world that being neurodiverse isn't something that holds you back, it's a superpower."
Marisha Wallace - £700k
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American actress Marisha Wallace, 38, has earned her money through starring roles in Broadway and the West End.
She has been in everything from Aladdin and Something Rotten to Hairspray and Waitress.
She even played the alternate lead Effie White in Dreamgirls, following in the footsteps of Glee star Amber Riley.
In 2022, Marisha received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress for her role of Ado Annie in Oklahoma!.
Zeze Millz - £70k
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Zeze Millz is best known for her YouTube show, Zeze Millz Show, in which she interviews some of the Black British music industry’s most prolific and influential artists, including Wiley, Akon and SPAC Nation’s Pastor Tobi.
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She has 180,000 followers on Instagram, and had earned £70,000 by the end of the 2022 tax year, according to records.
But she’s since appeared on many TV shows, including Good Morning Britain, E4's Celebrity Cooking School and The Victoria Derbyshire Show, so is most likely worth a lot more.
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