Baffled Celebrity Big Brother viewers were all asking the same question about Patsy Palmer as she made her first appearance in the Diary Room on Tuesday night’s episode.
The EastEnders actress, 52, was giving her first debrief of the day where she said how much of a positive experience she was having so far.
But as she spoke viewers were quick to notice that she wasn’t looking at the camera in the iconic room – with her eyes looking instead slightly to one side.
They penned on X: ‘Patsy giving hostage video vibes, who she looking at? #CBBUK.’,
‘patsy why you no looking into the big brother cam… who’s over there. #CBBUK.’,
‘Who is Patsy looking at in the Diary Room #CBBUK.’,
It comes after Patsy revealed she now drinks alcohol again after she previously ditched booze for more than two decades.
Baffled Celebrity Big Brother viewers were all asking the same question about Patsy Palmer as she made her first appearance in the Diary Room on Tuesday night’s episode
The EastEnders actress, 52, was giving her first debrief of the day where she said how much of a positive experience she was having so far
The icon, whose real name is Julie Merkell, went teetotal in 2004 after earning a reputation as quite the party girl in the nineties.
And ahead of her arrival in the ITV show house on Monday evening, Patsy confessed that she does drink wine now, but only in moderation.
When asked if she still drinks, Patsy said: ‘No, occasionally I’ll have a glass of wine, it doesn’t bother me, with food. I don’t do anything rigid anymore.
‘I went through many years of following certain programs, which I think are great, I’m not saying anyone should do this because I think all of the programs for people are amazing, but I haven’t followed anything for as long, I’ve just found my own way in life and it should be about that.
‘It should give every single individual a way to live their life, hopefully, whether they decide to continue with it forever or whether they decide to go find their own way and do what they want to do, that should be the goal.
Patsy, who entered the house alongside the likes of Mickey Rourke, Chesney Hawkes and Trisha Goddard, added: ‘There are some people I know who could never have a drop of alcohol ever again, I did think that would be the case for me because that’s what certain programs tell you, but I was never really a big drinker anyway.’
They penned on X: ‘Patsy giving hostage video vibes, who she looking at? #CBBUK.’, ‘patsy why you no looking into the big brother cam… who’s over there. #CBBUK’
It comes after Patsy revealed she now drinks alcohol again after she previously ditched booze for more than two decades
Patsy shot to stardom as market trader Bianca Jackson aged 21, where she found on-screen love with Ricky Butcher, and also found a place in the hearts of the nation.
However off screen, Patsy began struggling with a party hard lifestyle where she would binge on alcohol, cocaine and ecstasy.
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The TV star has previously admitted to trying alcohol at eight, sniffing solvents at 11 and even snorting cocaine at just 13.
When she joined the cast of EastEnders, Patsy was a single mother living with her son Charley, now 33, in an East End flat.
She told the Mirror in 2012: ‘Quite often, I’d party all night and go into work the next morning, just grabbing sleep on the set whenever I could, I don’t know how I survived.’
‘My emotions were completely unmanageable at that time and I don’t think I realised how unmanageable they were until I stopped. When I look back and see how much I’ve changed I think I was a different person.’
Patsy, who has been teetotal since 2004, has been married twice; firstly to filmmaker Nick Love for five months in 1998.
She went on to marry her husband Richard Merkell in 2000 and the couple now share children Fenton, 24, Emilia, 23, and Bertie, 14.
The icon, whose real name is Julie Merkell, went teetotal in 2004 after earning a reputation as quite the party girl in the nineties
And ahead of her arrival in the ITV show house on Monday evening, Patsy confessed that she does drink wine now, but only in moderation
The media personality previously told how the family ‘don’t have alcohol in the house’ and she follows the 12-step programme from Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.
Patsy said: ‘Ask yourself, ‘Is drinking and taking drugs stopping you from being the best person you want to be?’.
‘And if the answer’s yes, it’s time to knock it on the head. Richard and I didn’t want that for our life.
‘I didn’t want to be falling out of clubs. I wanted a settled home life and now I have.’
CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER 2025: MEET THE LINEUP!
MICKEY ROURKE
AGE: 72
FAMOUS FOR: The actor and former pro boxer is one of the show’s biggest ever signings and after public feuds with Robert De Niro, two marriages and a string of high profile relationships, producers will be hoping he brings plenty of drama.
DALEY THOMPSON
AGE: 66
FAMOUS FOR: The double Olympic gold-medallist is considered one of Britain’s greatest athletes, and he would no doubt cause a stir with younger celebrities if he entered the house. He broke the decathlon world record four times.
PATSY PALMER
AGE: 52
FAMOUS FOR: It’s an open secret that Patsy is leaving EastEnders, with the actress enjoying a wild leaving party this month. The Bianca Jackson star posted a snap of her character on Instagram with the caption: ‘Bye bye B, always grateful to see her again.’
DONNA PRESTON
AGE: 38
FAMOUS FOR: While Donna has featured in several TV shows and movies, the comedy star is known for hosting Apocalypse and for the role of a circus Compere in 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald. She plays Den in Coronation Street, has featured in Pants On Fire in 2019 and even wrote and co-produced BBC Three’s Comedy Threesomes.
CHESNEY HAWKES
AGE: 53
FAMOUS FOR: The singer topped the charts for five weeks in 1991 with his hit The One And Only, before making a string of acting and TV appearances. His arrival on CBB has been described by a TV source as ‘perfect timing’, as he’s set to release a comeback album in April.
ANGELLICA BELL
AGE: 49
FAMOUS FOR: The TV presenter is said to have landed a staggering five-figure deal to appear on Celebrity Big Brother. Fans will be keen to see if the CBBC legend spills all on her untimely exit from The Martin Lewis Show – which left fans baffled back in 2023. Angellica currently co-presents Hits Radio while Fleur East is on maternity leave.
DANNY BEARD
AGE: 32
FAMOUS FOR: The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner – whose real name is Daniel Curtis – has signed up as a late entry. Danny previously made headlines after swearing on Big Brother’s Late & Live last March whilst doing an impression of housemate Louis Walsh. The incident saw the guest say the word ‘c***’ before immediately apologising after being informed they weren’t allowed to say that on the show.
CHRIS HUGHES
AGE: 32
FAMOUS FOR: After shooting to fame on Love Island in 2017, Chris went on to become a sports presenter and regularly hosts the horse racing coverage on ITV.
JOJO SIWA
AGE: 21
FAMOUS FOR: The American singer, who shot to stardom on reality show Dance Moms, is expected to draw a big American audience. The hitmaker has made a name for herself in the U.S. pop charts and is known for her outlandish looks and being a vocal member of the LGBTQ+ community.
TRISHA GODDARD
AGE: 67
FAMOUS FOR: The talk show host regularly presented on ITV from 1998 to 2004 and then shifted to Channel 5 from 2004 to 2010. Trisha has been suffering horrible side effects of her chemotherapy – but has bravely battled on.
JACK P. SHEPHERD
AGE: 37
FAMOUS FOR: The actor has played David Platt in Corrie since 2000 and is following in his pal Colson Smith’s footsteps by taking part in the popular reality show. He has won a string of awards for the role including Best Actor at the British Soap Awards.
ELLA RAE WISE
AGE: 24
FAMOUS FOR: Producers have been keen to land the TV personality, who previously dated Pete Wicks and has had an on-off romance with Dan Edgar. Bosses are hoping the TOWIE star might reveal all about some of her other famous exes.
MICHAEL FABRICANT
AGE: 74
FAMOUS FOR: The former Conservative politician is understood to have signed a lucrative six-figure deal to take part after political stars were banned from the broadcaster’s other reality show, I’m A Celeb. He served as MP for Lichfield in Staffordshire from 1992 until his defeat in 2024 as well as vice-chairman of the party under David Cameron. But he is perhaps best known for his blond mop for which he has been widely ridiculed but repeatedly denies is a wig.