Former Big Brother winner Chantelle Houghton reveals fame ruined her: ‘I lost myself in a lot of misery’

Chantelle Houghton was sent to Celebrity Big Brother house during series 4 as a wildcard. Chantelle - who worked as a temp at NatWest at that time - was sent to fool the celebs that she was a celeb too. She posed as a part of a fictional girl band Kandy Floss and became the nation’s sweetheart overnight.

Not only did she end up winning Celebrity Big Brother but also found love in Ordinary Boys frontman Preston.

Chantelle Houghton on life after winning Big Brother

The non-celeb contestant on the show went on to become the celeb who commanded six-figure sums for magazine interviews and married Preston in a wedding gown designed by Princess Diana’s wedding dress designer.

However, the happiness in her life was short-lived. Preston and Chantelle headed for a divorce in just ten months and she struggled with fame so much that she ended up working at The Body Shop.

Chantelle has now quit the fame game and told The Sun:

I needed to step out of the spotlight for my mental health.

I was going through a really awful time. I was abused for a very, very long time.

I lost myself in a lot of misery and I’m getting myself back bit by bit and enjoying being the person I always was.

Chantelle Houghton’s weight struggles and baldness

Fans were surprised not just by Chantelle’s love life but also by her struggles with her weight. She explained how she would go on extreme diets and not care about what she was eating. The former Big Brother star said:

I wasn’t eating, or only eating when I was starving. And then, when I was starving, I was eating anything I could get my hands on. I’d stop at McDonald’s or get a bag of crisps or a bag of chips.

The 40-year-old went on to share that she even went bald due to her hair extensions. Her signature blonde BB house look is now changed to her natural brunette hair. She said:

Because I was so blonde, and due to the pull of the extensions, I ended up with so many bald patches.

So I had the extensions all taken out, went dark and just do weekly Kerastase treatments on my hair and take care of myself now.

Will Chantelle Houghton do BB again?

Despite everything, Chantelle revealed that she looks back on her time in the BB house fondly. She said:

It was such a happy time. I finally got over the fact I was the only non-celebrity, I’d passed the task, and then I was just slowly falling in love with somebody.

It was a dream come true, it really was wonderful.

Chantelle is currently one of the favourites to be going back in for the new reboot. When asked if she would like to go back to the Big Brother house again, she said:

Hell yes, I’d do Big Brother again, I’d be running there.

I mean, it’s however many weeks of no bills, no food shopping, no responsibility.

You get fed, you get watered, you play games, you might even come out the winner. So yeah, absolutely. I’d go back in!

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Source Used

The Sun: Big Brother icon Chantelle Houghton opens up on how fame ruined her life and made her bald ahead of show’s return