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Celebrity Big Brother 2014 line-up: Meet White Dee, who you might know from Benefits Street

It's time to get to know this year's contestants a little better

Jess Denham
Monday 18 August 2014 17:10 BST
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Benefits Street's White Dee is one of the favourites to win Celebrity Big Brother 2014
Benefits Street's White Dee is one of the favourites to win Celebrity Big Brother 2014 (Channel 5)

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As 14 new contestants enter the Celebrity Big Brother house tonight, it’s time to get to know them a little better.

Who? Deirdre Kelly, also known as ‘White Dee’.

Where do I know that face from? Dee became a household name after starring in Channel 4’s controversial documentary, Benefits Street. She received a mixed reception from viewers, with some hailing her a hero and others denouncing her as the “patron saint of drug addicts and dropouts”.

Why Celebrity Big Brother? Dee has been in demand since Benefits Street ended, having received offers from around the world for reality TV shows, newspaper columns and even modelling. She is a single mother, with one son and a daughter – their reactions to her appearing on CBB remain unknown…

What can we expect in the house? Plenty of defensive chat from Dee, as she will inevitably be quizzed about her former life on benefits. David Cameron personally ordered a probe into her finances after she was snapped enjoying a holiday in Magaluf while claiming she was “too depressed” to hold down a job.

Odds of winning? Dee is trailing behind Kellie Maloney but is still second favourite to win before the contest really heats up, at 6/1.

Hosted by Emma Willis, series seven of the hit reality show airs on Channel 5, with viewers promised “countless twists, turns and tough tasks”.

The house has been given a make-over for the new run, but celebrities will not be expecting VIP treatment but, instead, plenty of drama and tension.

Last year’s show was won by Geordie Shore’s Charlotte Crosby, who beat 5ive singer Abz Lowe to the title.

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