By Peter Harris

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Big Brother is set to return to our screens with a new group of housemates volunteering to what is often referred to as the original social experiment.

Despite the many changes the show has undergone, including switch of broadcaster to ITV, this year marks the 25th anniversary of the original series. There have been many memorable housemates during this time.

This includes, Pete Bennett who rose to near instant fame after winning the series back in 2006. He became a popular personality among viewers and was praised for raising awareness of Tourette’s syndrome.

During his time in the famous house, Pete was also famed for his romance with Nikki Grahame, who sadly died in 2021, aged 38 after a battle with anorexia. A Channel 4 documentary called Nikki Grahame, Who Is She? was released in April 2022 but Pete did not appear on the programme.

He later explained that he turned the opportunity down for his mental health but hoped it would be a “beautiful send-off”.

Their relationship did not last once they left the house and Pete got married to artist Gemma Costin, with their wedding shown on the show Four Weddings. Although Pete later revealed on social media that they were celebrating their divorce in October 2021.

Initially after leaving the Big Brother house he became the lead singer in a band called Daddy Fantastic, and even performed at Glastonbury as Pete Bennett and the Love Dogs.

He endured some tough times too and his £100,000 Big Brother prize became a distant memory. Appearing on The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2015, he admitted to struggling with drugs.

While on the show, he said: “The work dried up pretty fast, no-one would touch me with a barge pole because I was to do with Big Brother. I lost it all.”

In an attempt to get back on track, Pete started his own handyman business called Celebriclean in 2016. He charged £100 an hour for jobs such as mowing the lawn, cleaning the oven and ironing as well as throwing in a signed photo and t-shirt.

Unfortunately, the business was not a runaway success and no other celebrities got on board with this unique venture. Pete since turned his hand to acting, and at first appeared in some low-budget productions.

His credits include The Slayers, Zombie Women of Satan 2 and Catherine Tate’s The Nan Movie. He also starred in a comedy series called Green Fingers , which follows two friends attempting to be gardeners and is currently available to stream on Prime Video.

He also went back into the music scene and moved from Bristol to Brighton in 2019 to start hosting his own karaoke night every Wednesday.

More recently, Pete is still very active on social media, often sharing snippets of his life in Brighton. Earlier this month, he shared a video saying he was learning how to be a DJ at a local radio station.

He’s also been filming a documentary about his life since leaving Big Brother with filmmaker Paul Suggitt. There’s no word on a release yet but it is expected to premiere at a festival next year.

Big Brother is set to return soon, you can catch up on previous series on ITVX.