Celebrity Big Brother Star Reveals Paranoid Spiral After Show
A former Celebrity Big Brother contestant has spoken out about the traumatic experience of appearing on the reality TV show, revealing that he descended into an intense paranoid spiral after being a housemate.
Ian ‘H’ Watkins, 48, finished in fourth place on Celebrity Big Brother in 2007 when the show aired on Channel 4. He appeared on the show alongside stars including the late Jade Goody and Jo O’Meara, with Shilpa Shetty being declared the winner.
According to Metro.co.uk, H has revealed that his mental health was impacted after the show, as he feared he was being ‘watched’ through mirrors. He said: "It does affect your mental health because when you’re in there, in the nighttime, people are watching you. And back then, you could watch people sleeping 24 hours."
The singer, who was a member of the boy band Steps, continued: "I came out of there – and it was ridiculous because I know it wasn’t sane – but I would think people were watching me through mirrors for weeks afterwards."
Metro.co.uk reports that H said there was ‘no aftercare provided after the show’ in an interview with The Sun. He added: "Whereas these days, I would imagine there are doctors and psychologists and a team to help afterwards. But we had none of that back then. You did it, and you were left to fend for yourself."
H’s season of Celebrity Big Brother was marred by controversy after Goody faced bullying and racism allegations alongside S Club 7 star O’Meara and Danielle Lloyd. Goody had used offensive language when referring to Bollywood actress Shetty in the house, leading to her eviction.
Shetty forgave Goody, telling host Davina McCall after she was crowned winner: "Things happen, people make mistakes and we all learn from them. But I can say one thing for sure. Jade didn’t mean to be racist. She isn’t a racist. I really don’t want to leave England putting anyone in trouble."
Celebrity Big Brother returned to ITV last year, following the success of the reboot of the original show, which was scrapped by Channel 5 in 2018. The show has continued to attract a large audience, with Coronation Street star Jack P Shepherd being announced as the champion of the most recent series.
As Metro.co.uk reports, H’s comments highlight the need for better support and aftercare for contestants appearing on reality TV shows. The article states that "the experience of appearing on Celebrity Big Brother can have a lasting impact on contestants’ mental health."
The article also mentions that Metro.co.uk has contacted Channel 4 for comment.
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