After being booed more than any other Big Brother contestant, former Conservative MP Sir Michael Fabricant has warned his ex-colleagues to brace themselves.
Speaking ahead of entering the Big Brother house, the 74-year-old said: ‘I think they should be very, very worried.
‘I don’t have any grudges. I’m not that impressed with Labour, I must say. But the last few years of the conservative administration was disappointing.’
Known for his unmistakable blonde hair and flamboyant style, Fabricant insisted he’s in the house for an unusual reason: ‘When several Labour MPs ended up in prison over expenses around about 2010, I wondered what it would be like being incarcerated.
‘And I thought, ‘Well, I don’t wanna end up in a well-known prison-like Belmarsh’, but I thought this would be the next best thing.’
He hasn’t arrived alone — his teddy bear is also along for the ride. ‘One of whom I am taking to bed with me every night,’ he said.
‘My bear, Lindsay, named after the speaker of the House of Commons.’
After being booed more than any other Big Brother contestant, former Conservative MP Sir Michael Fabricant has warned his ex-colleagues to brace themselves (Pictured: Micael with hosts Will Best and AJ Odudu)
Sir Michael was booed on entry more than any other contestant, but insists he’s in the house for an unusual reason: ‘When several Labour MPs ended up in prison over expenses around about 2010, I wondered what it would be like being incarcerated’
Sir Michael said he was ‘definitely done with politics’ after 32 years in Westminster. ‘I don’t miss the politics at all. I do miss friends of mine in the House of Commons.’
He’s already bracing for controversy in the house.
Asked if he’s worried about being filmed 24/7, he said: ‘Yes, and I will say something jokingly which someone will decide to take offence about. I’m a little worried about cancel culture, I just have to be careful what I say. I will try to bite my tongue to a certain extent but I’m gonna be me.
‘I don’t wanna be so biting my tongue that I’m a bore. I will just be myself, which is probably the best advice. And if people loathe me, so be it. But let’s hope I’m a national treasure. Famous last words!’
Despite the ridicule he’s faced over his hair — which he insists is real — Sir Michael is unfazed.
‘I hate all that. Whether it’s my hair, whether it’s my whatever else. I think it’s nasty when people make personal comments. Men are as vulnerable as women. But it’s a water off a duck’s back with me now… I come across as such a confident, charismatic sort of character but inside is a bleeding heart.’
The former MP has launched a media company, Blonde Bombshell Media, with hopes of returning to broadcasting. ‘I am the blonde bombshell!’ he said.
‘I started off in broadcasting before politics… I’d love to do some presenting work… I was a good broadcaster when I did it.’
Sir Michael said he was ‘definitely done with politics’ after 32 years in Westminster. ‘I don’t miss the politics at all. I do miss friends of mine in the House of Commons’
The former MP has launched a media company, Blonde Bombshell Media, with hopes of returning to broadcasting. ‘I am the blonde bombshell!’ he said
Reflecting on his early career, he recalled a lesson from a former teacher: ‘My head of chemistry, I think it was, lovely guy, said, ‘Look, if you’re gonna keep 12 and 13 year olds entertained, or capture their attention, it’s gotta be 20% facts and figures and 80% entertainment.’ And I found it works exactly the same in the House of Commons.’
On the show, he says he’s not in it to win. ‘I think it’s unlikely, actually, because of being a politician. But who knows? I don’t know. I’m not playing it to win, actually.
‘I’ll play it not to be thrown out in the first week, but I’m just gonna enjoy it and be myself while being a little bit careful I don’t say something that’s so outrageous that cancel culture cancels me out.
‘But someone said to me, ‘Michael, you’re getting paid. You don’t get overtime if you were in there for the nineteen days. Just enjoy it.’
He expects some conflict, possibly over politics, but says he’ll handle it calmly.
‘If it’s involving me and it becomes irrational, I think I’ll just say, ‘Look, come on. We gotta agree to disagree’ and leave it like that. There’s no point getting nasty about it. Keep smiling. I’m a big smiler. Something of a weakness which I share with Tony Blair.’
And while he admits his friends told him not to do the show — ‘Not one person has said it’s a good idea’ — he’s relishing the freedom.
‘This is me unleashed. It’s me untamed, if I were ever tamed! I can say what I want and particularly when it comes to the party.’
Sir Michael joins a line-up of 13 housemates for ITV’s revived CBB, hosted by Will Best and AJ Odudu.
This year’s contestants includes EastEnders legend Patsy Palmer, Olympian Daley Thompson, pop star Chesney Hawkes, TV presenter Angellica Bell, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Danny Beard, and Hollywood icon Mickey Rourke, among others.
Celebrity Big Brother continues on Tuesday at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.