Bankruptcy, wannabe MP, fitness guru: What happens to former Celebrity Big Brother winners
A look back at some of the biggest transformations of former CBB champions as this year's winner is announced
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Your support makes all the difference.From Australian feminist Germaine Greer to controversial politician George Galloway and the former wife of The Donald, Ivana Trump, it would be fair to say Celebrity Big Brother does not tend to pick shy retiring types to appear in the series. On the contrary, the spin-off of the inaugural reality TV show does all it can to hand-pick a selection of individuals who will fulfil the British people’s insatiable appetite for mud-slinging and near warfare.
As another year passes and yet another almost-famous winner of Celebrity Big Brother is announced, it is as good a time as any to look at what the former winners of the show are doing now and the unexpected career paths many have found themselves upon. Here is a look at some of the biggest transformations.
Bez
Mark “Bez” Berry won the series in 2005. Since then the Happy Mondays percussionist and dancer has been declared bankrupt and run to be an MP.
Bez has been declared bankrupt twice in his life, once in 2004 (appearing to prompt him to go on CBB) and then again in 2008. While he was able to pay his first bankruptcy off with his CBB earnings, this didn't help him four years later when all his winnings had been spent.
“I don’t know. I have this blockage when it comes to money issues, you know what I mean? I’m good at spending it, but plans, I’m not very good at,” he told The Telegraph in March 2015. He also told of his penchant for “fast cars”.
In March 2014, Bez announced he would be standing as a candidate for the Salford and Eccles constituency in the 2015 general election. Bez ran on a platform of “free energy, free food and free anything” for the We Are The Reality Party and received 703 votes (1.6 per cent of the total turnout).
Shilpa Shetty
Shetty, whose real name is Shilpa Shetty Kundra, won the series in 2007. The successful Bollywood actress has become the co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Rajasthan Royals since winning the series. On top of this, she has also released a popular cookbook called The Great Indian Diet which was written alongside Luke Coutinho, and has reportedly been offered a TV slot for cooking.
Alex Reid
Reid, an MMA fighter who has fought for Cage Rage, BAMMA, UCMMA and Bellator, won the reality TV show in 2010. But since winning, he has left his cage fighter image behind and has taken up pantomime acting, playing the role of the Genie in Aladdin.
Charlotte Crosby
Crosby, a star of reality TV show Geordie Shore, won CBB in 2013. Since then she has become something of a fitness guru, releasing a popular exercise DVD 3-minute Belly Blitz and a cookbook titled Live Fast Loose Weight. She also tried her hand at being a YouTuber and has a channel which has over 300,000 followers.
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