Big Brother has been a staple on our screens for the last eighteen years and over this period it has been no stranger to scandal. But when you place celebs into one house, the controversy always heats up a notch, with so many big personalities not being afraid to air their feelings. 

Here are four of the most controversial celebrity Big Brother contestants who were both hated and loved. 

Sarah Harding

Sarah Harding won the show amid both boos and cheers. The ex-Girls Aloud singer was crowned winner of Celebrity Big Brother, 2017. 

Harding had gone in the house to show people the “real Sarah”, but it was her relationship with fellow contestant Chad Johnson that caused controversy – mostly because she was already in a relationship before she entered the Big Brother House, even though she claimed it was not serious. 

But it wasn’t just her love life that had come into question, it was also her supposed confrontational and unpredictable behaviour in the house that contestants had complained about. Fellow contestant Amelia Lily nicknaming her “Cider Sarah”.

With both the public and housemates claiming her relationship with Johnson was for the cameras, it wasn’t surprising that the announcement of her as the victor was met with both jeers and applause when she exited. 

Kim Woodburn

Kim became a household name after her famous scraps and putdowns in the 2017 CBB series.  There were several clashes involving Kim in the house from her constant rows with Nicola McLean to her epic row with Jamie O’Hara which ultimately saw her removed by security from the house. 

However, the spats were not all down to Kim. Housemates were seen trying to wind her up with Spencer Pratt quipping “I’m trying to get Kim thrown out”. 

But this wouldn’t be the end to Kim’s feuds with the former housemates. Even though Coleen Nolan and Kim both shared the house over two years ago, they still hadn’t put their differences aside. Kim was recently invited on to Loose Women so the pair could bury the hatchet; however it all kicked off again with Kim calling Coleen a bully and Coleen and her sister Linda Nolen calling Kim a “horrible, publicity-seeking witch” leading Woodburn to walk off the live programme. 

The public had been divided over Kim’s behaviour in the house, but following this episode of Loose Women, the public were quick to take to Twitter to condemn the Nolan sisters’ behaviour and language as well as thousands of complaints to Ofcom. 

Jade Goody

Another controversial contestant was Jade Goody. When she appeared in Celebrity Big Brother five, her behaviour, alongside Jo O’Meara and Danielle Lloyd, towards fellow housemate Shilpa Shetty, a Bollywood actress, attracted over 44,5000 complaints. 

Jade returned to Big Brother in 2007 with her mum and other half Jack Tweedy after originally finding fame in the 2002 Big Brother series. She caused controversy as she was accused of bullying another housemate. 

The incident caused outrage on an international level, and given the number of complaints. producers of the show made the decision to evict Jade to silence, without a live studio audience amid fears she might be attacked.

Jade, although she admitted that her actions were wrong, denied that the comments she made to Shilpa Shetty were racist and made numerous public apologies. However, in 2008, she went on to appear in the Indian version of Big Brother, Bigg Boss but she had to leave the show early and returned to the UK early as she learned she had cervical cancer. 

Tragically, Jade passed away in her sleep in March 2009 after losing her battle with cervical cancer.

Following her death, a tribute named her the most-mourned celebrity of 2009, more so than King of Pop Michael Jackson, A tribute to the star was shown on the final episode of Ultimate Big Brother. Goody received tributes from all levels of society and thousands of mourners attended her funeral. 

Jade’s story raised awareness for cervical cancer and bought home to young women the importance of cervical screenings. 

Stephen Bear

Stephen Bear is no stranger to reality TV and originally appeared on our screens in 2011 on Shipwrecked. He also appeared in MTV’s reality show Ex on the Beach in 2015. Known as a serial prankster and with little regard for boundaries or a filter, Stephen made headlines during his stint in the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2016.

During his time in the house he was taken into the diary room by security after getting into an argument with Heavy D and annoyed Aubrey O’Day to the point where other housemates stepped in. Overall, he caused utter mayhem in the BB house, cheated on his then girlfriend, poured milk over James Whale’s dressing gown and was generally unpleasant.

Though he eventually won the series, much to the chagrin of host Emma Willis and many others, Bear made it his mission in the house to have fun. 

And with this years’ Celebrity Big Brother contestants living up to the series’ controversial reputation, the jury is still out over who might take the crown. You can check out the current odds for the favourite over at Paddy Power.