Ahead of Big Brother's return later this year, former contestant Simon Gross has opened up to OK! about his experience in the iconic house, which saw him become the first and only contestant booted out after just two hours.
Looking back at his time on the show, Simon tells us that he feels as though he was "shortchanged" by the producers, and although he then re-entered the house two weeks later, he argues that he was robbed of the full experience.
When he did return, Simon says that there was a divide between himself and his fellow contestants and that he was "on the verge of being bullied in that house" which left him feeling incredibly "emotionally drained."
Recalling one night when this reached its peak, Simon told us: "I had some horrendous experiences in the house and I threatened to quit the show two and a half times.
"One night was on the diary room floor in pain, and stomach cramps because I was so emotionally drained by the whole thing. I was so ill that the doctor had to come in and they still wouldn't let me leave the show.
"[The producers] brainwash you into staying on the show, they would be like 'you've got to stay, you've got stay, things are going to change.'"
OK! have contacted representatives for Channel Five for comment on Simon's claims.
Ultimately Simon decided to stay, adding that he's happy he did as it was just a few days later that Nikki Grahame returned to the show, and the pair struck up a friendship, remaining friends until her death in 2021.
Opening up about his friendship with the late TV star, Simon said: "I don't regret going on the show as I found a wonderful friend, who was probably one of the best, biggest Big Brother icon legends that will ever see, they'll never be another Nikki Grahame.
"So I thank Big Brother for letting me meet someone like that" he added, recalling how Nikki had told him to be "proud" of his Big Brother experience.
And despite having a number of negative experiences while on the show, Simon has shared that he's hoping to return to the Big Brother house when the show returns later this year.
"I am in talks to go back in" he revealed, "and I think if I go back in I'm gonna do it very differently, and hopefully show who I really am.
"I think you get treated as a one-trick pony when you do a show like Big Brother and people don't give you a chance to be anybody else apart from what they see.
"I was manufactured into this character of you know, shouting showbiz all the time and sort of being quite camp and flamboyant, which I am, but I don't think I actually really had a chance to prove who I really was.
"And I think that now when I go back into the house, I'm going to play the game very differently."
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