Big Brother UK winner Rochelle Rackham has revealed she begged producers four times to let her leave the house before eventually winning the show.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain on November 9, the 57-year-old reality TV star admitted she struggled with the experience far more than she expected.
Rochelle had convinced herself she would be evicted within a week. Instead, she kept surviving evictions and became increasingly desperate to leave.
“They wouldn’t let me go. Four times I begged them to go,” she claimed.
Despite wanting to quit, Rochelle stayed until the finale and walked away as the winner.
Why did Rochelle want to leave Big Brother UK?
Rochelle admitted she hadn’t packed enough personal belongings because she never imagined she would last eight weeks.
As the competition dragged on, she became frustrated and started worrying she would never escape the house.
She even described her experience as eight weeks of “mental torture”.
And she wasn’t exactly giving the living arrangements five stars.
Rochelle jokingly called the house “the worst hotel I’ve ever been to” and recalled telling producers she would never return.
She also questioned why anyone would expect her to put herself through the experience again.
However, those difficult weeks made her eventual victory feel even sweeter.
“I deserve every penny for what I went through,” she insisted.
She also admitted she was stunned when her name was announced as the winner.
Rochelle’s comments came just days after her controversial November 5 victory, which saw her narrowly defeat runner-up Lucinda ‘Twinks’ Barnett.
While Rochelle claims she repeatedly begged to leave, she didn’t explain whether producers formally refused her requests or persuaded her to stay.
Big Brother UK wasn’t even Rochelle’s first choice
Here’s another twist. Rochelle never actually planned to become a Big Brother UK housemate.
She revealed that she originally wanted to compete on The Traitors because she thought the BBC competition would suit her.
After searching for the show on her phone, Rochelle began seeing advertisements for Big Brother instead.
She eventually decided to record an audition video while out riding her horse.
There was no glamorous introduction, either. Rochelle had no makeup on, was wearing her riding hat and filmed herself in the rain.
She thought the video was terrible and couldn’t believe it when producers contacted her.
What started as an impulsive application soon turned into an eight-week reality TV adventure.
And perhaps the funniest part? Rochelle admitted she had never been particularly interested in the programme.
“I never even watched it,” she confessed.
Nevertheless, she went on to claim the show’s $194,000 prize after receiving 37.65% of the public vote, narrowly beating Twinks’ 36.62%.
Her win also prompted boos from sections of the live audience, although Rochelle maintained she had earned her victory.
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