‘Celebrity Big Brother is tough – I was paranoid, oversensitive and uptight’

Celebrity Big Brother returns to our screens this week. I’m excited, and also a bit jealous that the celebs will be living in “my” house and having fun. When I took part in the show last year, it was a fantastic experience, but it can be really tough. I became a bit paranoid, oversensitive and uptight after being in there for so long. My CBB experience was dominated by my romance with rapper Ginuwine. Before I went in, I was conscious that I didn’t want a relationship because people are so quick to label it a “showmance” and think you just want airtime. But Ginuwine and I had a connection, and if you feel that with someone, you can’t fight it because it’s so intense. I never thought I’d be attracted to a 47-year-old father-of-nine with grandchildren – but I was! So my advice to the stars would be to just let whatever happens happen, and not to worry about what people think.

There are rumours that Meghan Markle’s half-sister Samantha will be going in – and as you read this, she may well be a settled housemate. But I don’t like the idea of her becoming famous at Meghan’s expense. She’ll be there purely to tell stories about the new royal. Any conversations between celebs that were a bit risqué were edited out, so let’s see what happens.