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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Kate Lally

CBB's Chantelle Houghton unrecognisable 15 years after going on show

Chantelle Houghton became a household name overnight when she went into Celebrity Big Brother as a "fake" housemate in 2006.

Then just 22, the Essex native was tasked with convincing the other famous faces that she was "one of them".

Chantelle stole the show with her "dumb blonde" attitude as she pretended to be a celeb.

READ MORE: Coronation Street stars rush to support Faye Brookes as she admits 'struggle'

The reality star went on to win the show after tricking the rest of her housemates into thinking she was the real deal.

Her cover story was that she belonged to a made-up girl band called Kandy Floss.

Chantelle originally auditioned for the regular series of the show the previous summer, but was instead selected to enter the celebrity series.

During the show, she met Ordinary Boys star Preston - real name Samuel Preston - and the pair quickly became inseparable, despite him having a girlfriend on the outside.

The pair embarked on a whirlwind romance and married just months later.

However, the marriage didn't last and they split just 10 months after tying the knot.

After her CBB win, Chantelle became a regular face on TV, as well as releasing an autobiography.

In 2010, she appeared in Ultimate Big Brother, coming runner-up to winner Brian Dowling.

Having now ditched her signature blonde locks in favour of jet black hair, the former model looks completely different from her stint on Big Brother.

After years of being in the public eye, in January 2021, Chantelle started a new job as a Body Shop consultant.

The 38-year-old has a daughter, 9, who she shares with Katie Price's ex Alex Reid.

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