As Celebrity Big Brother returns to our screens with a bang on ITV, former housemates Jedward sat down with us for an exclusive chat to spill all the behind-the-scenes tea on TV’s most explosive reality show – and according to them, some of the wildest moments never made it to air.
The Irish twins, who starred in CBB twice – first in 2011 and again in 2017’s All-Stars edition on Channel 5 – have revealed that what viewers see is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the chaos that goes on in the house. “It’s like Christmas! You don’t know who’s going to be round the corner,” says John, reflecting on entering the house for the first time, “We made lifelong friends, like Tara Reid – we’ve known her 14 years now.”
But, while their first stint was more about fun and friendships, their second time inside the famous house was very different. “People were playing games and tried to start drama to stay relevant. We stayed true to ourselves,” Edward tells us, “Some nights got wild – everyone drinking, drama in the smoking area, and people waking up seriously hungover. It’s a mindf**k – the sleep deprivation, food drama, losing track of time. Even small things like the thermostat can set people off.”
And it turns out that, once the lights go down, the drama ramps up even more. “When nighttime hits, all hell breaks loose,” Edward revealed. “We didn’t drink, but some contestants would be drinking so much – at one point a girl was frying her microphone in the kitchen.”
“The next day everyone would be totally hungover in the smoking area, on a big comedown,” adds John. According to the duo, not everyone in the house was there for the right reasons – and some were clearly chasing camera time. Edward shares, “Some contestants clearly produce themselves for TV. You’d cry and someone you’d never spoken to would come over – it would be like, ‘Bitch, you’re just trying to get airtime!’”
There were also some laugh-out-loud moments the cameras didn’t catch – including a wardrobe mishap involving fellow housemate Bianca Gascoigne. “Once, John ran out of underpants, so Bianca gave him her thong,” Edward shares. While some housemates pursued romances for the cameras, the twins reveal that they chose to avoid showmances altogether. “We could have had loads of showmances but we didn’t entertain them,” John says, “There are lots of condoms in there – they have a stash in the bathroom! The producers have high hopes they’ll get used.”
But not all off-camera moments were funny. Edward also revealed a shocking health scare that happened as they entered the house – a serious incident that viewers never saw.
“Another thing that didn’t air is that when we were entering the house, I fell off the stage,” he explains, “I hit my back and had to go to hospital for tests. At the time, they gave me a scary diagnosis that I could have cancer. After the series, it was checked and it was fine. But I went through the experience thinking I was going to die.”
Celebrity Big Brother airs weeknights at 9pm on ITV1 and can be streamed on ITVX, STV and STV Player.
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