Pete Bennett splurged his £100,000 ‘Big Brother’ winnings on "bailiffs, the tax man, and drugs".
The 38-year-old star scooped the huge sum when he won the seventh series of the reality TV show in 2006 as his relationship with fellow housemate Nikki Grahame captured the nation’s heart, but Pete has now admitted he forked out a proportion of his winnings on drugs and was and "on acid" when he applied for the show.
In an interview with Simon Gross for ‘Get Gossy with Grossy’, he said: "I was 24 I was a raver, it just all went on bailiffs, the tax man, drugs. It was a crazy whirlwind
"I was going to raves and was on acid when I applied for ‘Big Brother’, I’m not doing drugs much now. You can now see my lips.
"I was bullied before I went into the show for calling people w*****s because of my Tourettes."
Pete has admitted he had a "weird kind of romance" in the house, and it "bothers [him]" that Nikki – who is remembered for her Diary Room outbursts, such as one rant when she blurted out "who is she?!" after being nominated by newcomer Susie Verrico – is often the "main focus" when people talk about the seventh series, rather than him.
He said: "I fancied her and thought I would give it a go, there was a spark. It was a whirlwind, weird kind of romance.
"I was meant to do ‘Ultimate Big Brother’, I had my meeting with the BB shrink but a week after they dropped me.
"I was in a dark place. My friend had died of cancer; it was a pick-me-up that got taken away from me.
"Nikki is now always the main focus, yeah it bothers me. I wish they would plug me. I lift people’s spirits. I feel left out. I won the show, not her."
Pete is now working with Catherine Tate on her new film.
He added: "I went into the audition room and called her a ginger – I got the part."
E4 re-aired the episode in which Nikki performed her infamous "who is she" rant on Tuesday (16.06.20) as part of their ‘Big Brother: Best Shows Ever’ series.
Follow former ‘Big Brother’ housemate Simon Gross (Simongross.co.uk) on Instagram @simongrossshowbiz for more showbiz scoops.