After April’s fiery run of Celebrity Big Brother, where Jack P Shepherd walked away with the crown, the iconic show returned with another season on Sunday night (September 28).
Originally launched on Channel 4 in 2000 before shifting to Channel 5, the format got a full facelift in 2023 and has been thriving since its relaunch.
Presenters AJ Odudu and Will Best are once again steering the ship, promising fans that this year will bring more mischief.
39-year-old Gani from Bromley is taking part in the ultimate social experiment on ITV.
Gani, a proud Dua Lipa fan, had the daunting task of being the first housemate to walk in this series, which he did with confidence and slightly shaky legs.
On the show, he said: “I am working right now as a night manager in Pizza Hut.
“The pizza that I created myself has tuna, pineapple, rocket or chilli and oh my god it is lovely.
“I am not just a good manager, I’m the most funny manager.
“I will play some nice Dua Lipa songs.
“2022 I explored the sexuality of bi – I tried it and I loved it.
“If you’re given a dish you don’t try, you don’t know.”
Gani will be joined by another south Londoner in the 2025 Big Brother house.
Personal trainer Zelha, 25, from south London, shared in his opening VT that he’s transgender.
Zelha(Image: ITV)
On the show, he said: “I constantly get compared to a spaniel dog.
“I am pretty unbearable if I don’t get my 12,000 steps a day.
“I am half Indian, half English.
“I think something people are usually are shocked to find out I lived as a woman for 23 years of my life.
“I think I am living proof that being transgender is not a choice, because why would I chose to go from the luxury, the sanctuary that is the women’s toilets to the horror that is the mens.”
In the 2024 series, audiences rallied behind forensic psychologist Ali Bromley, whose victory earned her £90,000.
At 38, she made history twice over: the oldest woman to ever win Big Brother UK, and the show’s first openly lesbian champion.
Ali outlasted fellow finalists Marcello Spooks, Segun Shodipo, Hanah Haji, Nathan King, and Emma Morgan – securing her spot alongside 2023 winner Jordan Sangha in the show’s hall of fame.