John Partridge has revealed that the reason he’s in the Celebrity Big Brother house is to pay for his mother’s Alzheimer’s care.
The EastEnders star said: “My mum has Alzheimer’s, I pay for her care and it is expensive. The honest answer is I’m here to pay her bill.”
Speaking about his 80-year-old mum, Bridget, he explained: “She did live with us as a family, and in March we felt that we could no longer meet her needs, and she moved into a facility. That’s why I’m here. I’m not ashamed of it. I don’t care what people think.”
The 44 year old spoke candidly about his mum's illness, saying: “It is brutal and it is cruel and I have nothing good to say about it.”
John entered the CBB house last night, and it wasn’t long before he was forced to do a task.
Asked to give the names of housemates he would banish to 'the box' for “the foreseeable future,” he chose himself and Darren Day.
He then decided that Danniella Westbrook, Winston McKenzie and* X Factor* star Christopher Maloney would not be allowed to receive their suitcases.
Celebrity Big Brother 2016 official line-up!
CBB January 2016 official line-up
1 of 16Gemma Collins
FUN FACT: Gemma once lost three stone in a month by JUST DRINKING JUICE. She must've been absolutely hank marvin.
2 of 16Scotty T
FUN FACT: Geordie Shore's Scotty once got catfished so hard he drove three hours out of his way only to meet a 47-year-old man called Peter. ROFFLE.
3 of 16Danniella Westbrook
FUN FACT: Danni's been touted for CBB for as long as we can remember, most recently last year after she admitted she needed a roof over her head because she'd been made homeless. Crikey.
4 of 16Christopher Maloney
FUN FACT: The ex-X Factor star underwent £60,000 worth of plastic surgery in 2015 after getting sick of Mr Potato Head comparisons. 60,000. Of the Queen's English pounds.
5 of 16Stephanie Davis
FUN FACT: Stephanie was 'let go' from her Hollyoaks contract in July 2015 following claims she'd been drinking on set. However, she's always denied the rumours - maybe CBB will be where she sets the record straight.
6 of 16David Gest
FUN FACT: The ex-husband of Liza Minelli is reportedly trousering a sweet $1 million for this CBB stint. Spend it wisely, eh Dave? Maybe invest in some non-magician clothes.
7 of 16Kristina Rihanoff
FUN FACT: Poor Kristina was given a rough ride by Twitter trolls after the breakdown of her relationship with Joe Calzaghe.
8 of 16Darren Day
FUN FACT: Ol' Dazza once dated actual Isla Fisher. ISLA FISHER. WE KNOW.
9 of 16Nancy Dell'Olio
FUN FACT: Nancy's not just the ex-girlfriend of Sven Goran-Eriksson - she's also a super-smart lawyer lady. Well, she was before all the reality shows.
10 of 16Jonathan Cheban
FUN FACT: Before Kim Kardashian was even a twinkle in Ray J's eye, her now-BFF Jonathan was hanging out with the likes of Posh Spice.
11 of 16Tiffany Pollard
12 of 16Jeremy McConnell
13 of 16Angie Bowie
14 of 16John Partridge
15 of 16Megan McKenna
FUN FACT: Back before the Ex On The Beach saga, Megs actually auditioned for Britain's Got Talent in 2009. And wore a tutu. And it was mega-awkward.
16 of 16Winston McKenzie
FUN FACT: The former UKIP spokesperson dramatically quit the party after claiming he was facing, er, racial discrimination.