WHEN Nicola McLean went into the Celebrity Big Brother house, she told viewers she had “big boobs but even bigger opinions”;.
And she , finding herself at the epicentre of the show's , meltdowns and even the .
But unlike her contemporaries, who complain about “villain edits”; on the show, the former girl admits: “The most entertaining parts were me losing my s***.
Having appeared over two of the wildest series in 2012 and 2017, , now 43, says she lays no fault at the producers’ door, even if some ‘storylines’ made her “look like a lunatic that exploded at every moment”;.
Most of those fiery moments for the two-time , including with How Clean Is Your House? host and Loose Women’s .
But the most surprising rabble rousers for mum-of-two Nicola were Irish twins , known as , who she slams as “gameplaying nightmares”.
She tells Flying Eze: “They were deliberately antagonising, they were playing a game throughout and definitely earned their because they did not stop.
“They would talk into the cameras, write things on the mirrors, deliberately eat things we needed to make dinners. They weren’t funny, they were constantly annoying.
“We had a shopping list and had to be clever, making big meals like shepherd’s pies, lasagnas, those kinds of things because they go a long way.
“But then Jedward would eat all the ingredients for dinner to be annoying, just to p*** you off. They were a nightmare to deal with and I kept losing my s***.”;
Upon meeting stars, thought they were “deluded and talking s***”; after the boys boasted about their record sales, enormous earnings and massive fandom.
But to her surprise, when they arrived at a nearby hotel after the show finished, she was gobsmacked to find the twins mobbed by screaming female fans.
She recalls: “We pulled up and there were loads of girls there. I thought they must be here for but no, they were there for Jedward.
“It was absolutely nuts, I couldn’t believe it. They are massively popular and their fans are awful. They were f***ing horrible to me because they hate me.”;
‘Absolute horror'
While Nicola says the twins were obnoxious, she faced worse in 2017 CBB arch nemesis, Kim Woodburn, who she labelled “an absolute horror”;.
One meltdown saw the TV cleaning expert spit: “Shut up big gob! Miss Insecure. Don’t start with me... You’re a vile creature, who is jealous of everything and everybody.”;
In another outburst, Kim called Nicola and other housemates “chicken-livered s***s”; before being dragged off by security and forced to sleep in a separate room overnight.
Speaking about the verbal attacks, Nicola said: “Kim was an absolute horror, for six days she was going for me before I lost my s***.
“She should never have been allowed to behave that way now. She shouldn’t have stood over me, shouting in my face and pointing her finger at me. That was very wrong.
“Kim was really nasty to me, she said my kids wouldn’t be proud of me, that I was insecure, deeply sad and was just horrible.”;
‘Bumgate' anger
The clash with Kim was the second time Nicola felt she was let down by CBB, believing they should have intervened or even kicked out aggressors, as they did with Mickey Rourke this series.
“I was failed twice with how allowed people to behave,”; she says. “The first was a big explosion and argument when Denise pulled down the twins’ trousers.”
That infamous moment from 2012 became known as ‘Bumgate’ and after exposing Karissa Shannon’s rear, inebriated Denise refused to back down or apologise.
Nicola recalls: “When Denise said, ‘Well, it’s what they do for a living’ I was gobsmacked. Especially because I was a Page 3 girl. It was wrong but no one said anything.
“Just because I’m a Page 3 girl doesn’t mean someone’s allowed to get my boobs out for me. Bizarrely, everyone was on Denise’s side, which was wild and really p***ed me off.
“I lost my s***. I couldn't believe that people believed she was right. There should have been some ownership, you can’t pull someone’s trousers down and make out like it’s fine because they did Playboy.”;
So much screaming and shouting ensued that Big Brother separated the warring parties into two groups and locked the one with Denise inside the bedroom to let her “calm down”;.
Nicola adds: “Kim was horrific and by far the worst housemate, but there was no love lost. There was with Denise. She upset me the most.”;
I swear to God it was more like an 18 to 30s holiday, we were wild. They gave us copious amounts of alcohol.
Nicola McLean
The glamour model also fell out with Denise over a cruel task where the housemates were split into two groups and told that if they wanted to receive letters from home they had to shred the other team’s.
While many were hesitant, the mum-of-two admits she “didn’t even wait 30 seconds”; and as she destroyed them gleefully, yelling: “Shred, shred, shred.”;
Even now Nicola isn’t remorseful, admitting she would “do it again and again and again”; and argued Denise and other tearful housemates “should have got there first”;.
“It’s a game isn’t it?”; she says. “The only reason why they didn't is because they wanted everyone to love them. I don't give a f***, like I want my letter so I'm shredding the letters.”;
Booze ultimatum
During her time in the show, Denise regularly took topless dips in the hot tub alongside co-star Frankie Cocozza, famed for being an X Factor hellraiser.
Unlike modern reality shows where alcohol is heavily monitored, Nicola says there was “no limit”; for their booze-loving gang and it often led to “wild”; scenes.
She says: “I swear to God it was more like an 18 to 30s holiday, we were wild. They gave us copious amounts of alcohol. When it ran out we’d be like, ‘Alright, let’s go to sleep then’.
“We’d all get into bed and Big Brother would say, ‘You’re not allowed to sleep, get up’ and we’d be like, ‘Well, no, there’s no more alcohol’. And then they would give us more.”;
‘Nearly quit'
But the excessive alcohol, coupled with the stress and clashes, also took its toll on Nicola, who admits she consulted a psychiatrist multiple times on the show.
She tells us: “I was vulnerable and dealing with tricky situations, like with Kim, which was really triggering. CBB knew if they allowed me to be in those situations they had to support me to deal with it.
“Was my anxiety in check enough to make correct decisions? Probably not. I once requested to speak to a psychiatrist at least three times including once at 3am.
“I needed an ECG multiple times because my heart rate was really erratic and my anxiety was so bad that they called in a paramedic.
My sister told them, ‘I’m definitely going to pull her if she doesn’t start eating’ – I was getting really neurotic at the time and was really struggling
“I was on anti-anxiety medication and had to up my meds. CBB did everything right. I didn’t go to the hospital, I don't think I would have come back to the house if I did.”;
The stress led to Nicola’s – anorexia and – to such a point that the .
She recalls: “My sister could tell I was losing weight very quickly and I wasn’t really eating at all. She phoned producers and told them that if they didn’t help I’d have to leave.
“She told them, ‘I’m definitely going to pull her if she doesn’t start eating’ – I was getting really neurotic at the time and was really struggling.
“They said, ‘What will she eat?’ and she told them, ‘Nicola loves McDonald’s, get her a Big Mac meal’ and they did. They gave it to me in the diary room and I was buzzing.”;
No regrets
Despite her struggles on the show, and tells us she’s happy with how she was edited – even if it led to viewers seeing “the fiery side”; of her.
She says: “While it was annoying at times because it made people think I was just a lunatic that erupted at every moment, which is not true, I get it. They’re making good TV.
“I think it’s really w**ky to blame the edit, you’ve seen Ekin-Su try that but they are things you have said and done. You’ve got to be a big girl and own it.”;
In fact, Nicola says she would be “distraught”; if she wasn’t invited back for another CBB All-Stars edition, claiming she would be “running down to the house”; herself.
“There were times when I should have gone home rather than staying on the show drinking copious amounts of wine and being wild, but I was entertaining and I loved it.
“I’m a grown-a** woman and am so grateful to every single show that has ever booked me. I grew up on a council estate, I’m not very smart academically. I don’t know what I would have done for work.
“Flying Eze’s Page 3 was a lifesaver for me and then these TV shows have been amazing too. They have enabled me to take my kids to school and pick them up every day and live an amazing life.
“I think I’m a different person now, maybe not as entertaining, but let’s be honest, get me in CBB again and give me a couple of glasses of fizz and I’d easily be the person housemate in there.”;
