West End star Marisha Wallace had one of the most iconic moments in the Celebrity Big Brother house when she was told of her Olivier Award nomination mid-task.
But her time on the show wasn’t all rosy, with Louis Walsh questioning her credentials and an argument with Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu ending in tears.
American actress Marisha, 38, is up for Best Actress in a Musical at the Olivier Awards on Sunday, for her role as Miss Adelaide in the West End production of Guys & Dolls.
Speaking to ahead of the prestigious awards, Marisha dished the dirt on little-known secrets from her time in the Celebrity Big Brother house and revealed what she really thinks of her all-star housemates.
Marisha was one of 13 celebrities to enter the Big Brother house on March 4 to mark the iconic series’ return on ITV, alongside Sharon Osbourne, Levi Roots and Louis.
Marisha talked little-known secrets from her time in the Celebrity Big Brother house and revealed what she really thinks of her all-star housemates (Pictured in March)
Marisha’s time on Celebrity Big Brother wasn’t all rosy, with Louis Walsh questioning her credentials and an argument with Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu ending in tears
The theatre star’s Olivier nod came after Louis, 71, claimed she needed ‘a few more years’ before being voted for a Tony – the Broadway theatre equivalent – and insisted his former X Factor colleague Nicole was more deserving of the accolade.
When housemate Gary Goldsmith asked whether Marisha could be nominated for a Tony this year, Louis replied: ‘In time… she needs a few more years, this is Nicole’s year.’
The comments hinted at a possible frosty relationship between the musical theatre star and the talent scout – but Marisha insisted that couldn’t be further from the truth.
‘I think I taught Louis a lot about the power of musical theatre but also the versatility of musical theatre because he asked me to sing for him all the time,’ she said, revealing that the pair actually grew very close.
‘It was amazing because when he was on This Morning and he was asked who his favourite housemate was, he said me.’
Marisha said while you go into things with a ‘preconceived notion of people and who they are,’ she instead found Louis to be endearing.
She said: ‘I think being with someone who is different than you, and seeing their struggles and what they’ve gone through, that it changes your whole perception and Louis is actually very vulnerable.’
And she believes she has now won the former X Factor judge round, revealing he was one of her biggest supporters in the house.
The American actress, 38, has been starring as Miss Adelaide in the West End production of Guys & Dolls – another in a long line of her theatre lead roles
Marisha strutting her stuff as Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls
Louis, 71, claimed she needed ‘a few more years’ before being voted for a Tony, insisting his former X Factor colleague Nicole was more deserving of the accolade (pictured in the house)
‘He sent me a text yesterday saying congratulations and he said “You’re a star”,’ Marisha explained. ‘When I got nominated in the house he was cheering me on.’
During her time on Celebrity Big Brother, Marisha butted heads with Love Island star Ekin, 29.
The pair got heated when Marisha chose Ekin-Su during face to face nominations, citing that she didn’t feel she could win against her.
The reasoning infuriated the reality star and a night of tears ensued. Ekin-Su was evicted shortly after, leaving viewers wondering if there was a lingering feud.
But it seems the pair have quashed their beef once and for all, with Marisha revealing she reached out to support Ekin-Su after the show.
‘We actually spoke about it when it happened and she was like “We’re fine” and actually when she was evicted we were holding each other’s hands,’ Marisha said.
‘I don’t think people realise that, that we were still tight. I told her “When I’m going to leave I’m going to defend you” because I feel like she’s been through a lot.
‘She broke up with her boyfriend right before it and she was also going through a lot of things in her life.
‘To go on a show like that when you’re going through a break-up? I don’t know how she did it, like you would be having all kinds of feelings.’
‘She’s fine and yeah we’re cool,’ Marisha added. ‘I’m cool with her.’
West-End star Marisha had one of the most iconic moments in the CBB house when she was told of her Olivier Award nomination mid-task (Pictured on CBB Late and Live in March)
During her time on Celebrity Big Brother, Marisha butted heads with Love Island star Ekin, 29 (Pictured together in the CBB house)
Marisha said she bonded most with housemates Youtuber Zeze Millz, 34, and Netflix’s Heartstopper star Bradley Riches, 22.
But it turns the reality show was not her first time meeting Bradley, as Marisha revealed he had actually been a fan of hers since he was 12 years old.
She said: ‘I used to see Bradley at the stage door when he was like 12. He has a picture of him at stage door like 12 years old saying “I love Marisha”. This is from like seven years ago from when he came and saw me in The Colour Purple.
‘He was a fan. He said “I came to one of your solo shows and I vlogged it when I was a kid” and then he realised he was going to be living with me for two weeks.’
Marisha added: ‘As soon as I saw him like he came in, he was like a deer in the headlights and he was so scared. And I just hugged him.
‘I was like “I’m gonna take care of you, we’re gonna be okay”, and I did and it was amazing. We just had like an instant connection. It went from fans to friends.’
Marisha’s performance in Guys & Dolls received rave reviews from critics and to be nominated for Best Actress feels ‘major’, she said.
‘We knew that it was good but we didn’t know how good it was and the amount of people who come and how I kind of changed that role forever,’ she said.
Marisha said she bonded most with housemates Youtuber Zeze Millz, 34, and Netflix’s Heartstopper star Bradley Riches, 22 (Pictured are Marisha and Zeze in March)
But it turns the reality show was not her first time meeting Bradley, as Marisha revealed he had actually been a fan of hers since he was 12-years-old (Pictured Bradley and Marisha)
‘So I’ve left and then another curvy black woman has taken over from me and for me that’s like the best part of it. For the change to be awarded and recognised is incrdible because this role is beloved and it’s been around for 50 years.
‘But for me to come in and put my own spin on it and for people to love that spin, that’s been the most rewarding part of it.’
At last year’s Olivier Awards, Marisha was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical as Ado Annie in Oklahoma! – but she missed out on the gong to her ‘good friend’, soul icon Beverley Knight.
‘When her name got called, I stood up and cheered for her because her winning felt like me winning, because we are all in it together. ‘
She added: ‘I think that’s what you have to remember is like, the statue is amazing but the statue is just a statue.
‘What you stand for and what you bring to the table, the doors I have opened and the legacy I am leaving behind is bigger than a statue. And also… there will, hopefully, be many more times.’
Performing eight shows a week and seven songs a show, Marisha’s portrayal of bombastic burlesque singer Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls at London’s Bridge Theatre has seen A-listers coming back for seconds.
‘Helena Bonham Carter came twice,’ she told You Magazine in December.
‘She brought her mum the first time, then she came back. We’ve had Mark Strong. Hugh Jackman. Kristin Chenoweth. Catherine Zeta Jones. When do you ever see them in the wild?’
A flurry of lead roles awaited her in London – Becky in Waitress (pictured in 2019), Motormouth Maybelle Hairspray, Ado Annie in Oklahoma! and later her current role, Miss Adelaide in Guys & Dolls
Marisha’s performance as Miss Adelaide, a club singer who just wants to be married to Daniel Mays’s feckless Nathan Detroit, earned her high praise from critics.
‘Seriously, give her all the awards right now,’ wrote the Evening Standard’s Nick Curtis.
And it would appear he was right, as she is one of four stars nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance.
Marisha will be up against Natasha Hodgson for Operation Mincemeat, Caissie Levy for Next to Normal and Nicole Scherzinger for Sunset Boulevard at the ceremony on April 14.
Celebrity Big Brother bosses broke a strict show rule to inform her that she had been nominated for a major award, causing her to breakdown in tears.
Marisha was overcome with emotion as she was finally told the news, with the rest of her co-stars congratulating her on the achievement.
Before the show’s most dramatic nominations, where housemates had vote face to face, Big Brother transformed the garden into a funfair and Marisha played her hand at the wheel of fortune machine, which revealed: ‘There are exciting things ahead, on Sunday 14th April, you will be sitting at the Olivier Awards as a nominee.’
The rules of the show state that celebrities must not have any contact with the outside world, but a TV source told they felt Marisha’s OIivier nomination was too special to keep secret.
A show insider said: ‘Producers decided to give Marisha a message about her OIivier Award nomination.
‘It is a big moment in her life and now she will never forget how she found out, surrounded by her co-stars in the Celebrity Big Brother house. She was taken aback from the news and truly overcome with emotion.’