We would genuinely sell our souls (well, what’s left of them) to be able to go back in time and morph into a fly and listen in on some of those early Celebrity Big Brother 2025 casting meetings at ITV HQ. Wait, do flies have ears? Google says no, so maybe the ability to turn into a Borrower for 24 hours, instead.
Either way, just IMAGINE the names that must get thrown around in those meetings.
What we do know about these Celebrity Big Brother meetings is that they often happen months and months ahead of the series launch and certain names that get thrown into the mix end up turning down the offers.
Naturally, most of these names find their way into the rumour mill either way and a huge part of the pre-show buzz is guessing who is actually going to walk out of those posh black cars and into the CBB house on launch night.
We have to say, this year, almost all of the rumoured names turned out to be spot on, but there was one celeb name we had absolutely no clue about until she told us that she’d been offered a coveted spot on the 2025 series but she turned it down in an exclusive interview with heatworld. Gag.
And it’s a Real Housewives icon, people.
No, it’s not The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Lisa Rinna. Sorry. Although we did hear that one, too, and the thought that that telly legend didn’t enter the house but Mickey Rourke did makes our blood boil tbh. But he’s out, and we move.
No, in fact, it seems ITV wanted another Real Housewives of Cheshire legend to be part of this year’s line-up, following the success of last year’s Lauren Simon (the pink wheelie bin, late night pillow talks with Louis Walsh, that naff AF public apology - iconic stuff).
Yes, the very same Lauren Simon who recently popped back into the house to play a devious mermaid that lives in a jacuzzi.
The Housewife in question is none other than RHOCheshire OG, Tanya Bardsley, who, while speaking about her new ITVBe series, The Bardsley Bunch, revealed to heatworld that BB producers asked her to take part in this year’s CBB, but she had to turn it down as she was busy with her new show, which is set to launch this Wednesday.
She exclusively told heatworld, ‘I’d love to go on Big Brother. I’d love to go on. They actually asked me for this year, but I couldn’t because I was doing The Bardsley Bunch. I love Big Brother and I really want Donna Preston to win.’
Now, we’re big fans of The Real Housewives of Cheshire and Tanya here at heat, and let us tell you, this telly queen would’ve made a downright exceptional addition to the cast, if not a guaranteed winner.
So basically, add her to the top of your lists for CBB 2026 rumoured cast.
Tanya Bardsley's new six-part series, The Bardsley Bunch, launches on ITVBe and ITVX on Wednesday 16 April at 9pm.
WATCH: Come with us behind the scenes of Gabby Allen's heat magazine fitness shoot
Ben Pulsford is a digital writer for Bauer Media, writing for both Closer online and heatworld. When he's not getting paid to gossip about Big Brother, Love Island, and The Real Housewives of Cheshire, he's storming the London LGBTQ+ scene as drag queen, Beary Poppins. Both Ben and Beary are awaiting an invite to join The Real Housewives of Cheshire for series 18. The budget's not there, but the drama is 💅