Reality TV stars Chris Hughes and JoJo Siwa broke Celebrity Big Brother rules in a ploy to get more air time on the series, housemate Olympian Daley Thompson has said.
Hughes, who rose to fame on Love Island before going into sports presenting, and former Dance Moms castmate Siwa, 21, were punished by Big Brother for writing secret messages to each other.
Siwa, an American singer and YouTuber, wrote on 32-year-old Hughes’ hand: “It makes sense, just think about it.”
The pair were then told they had to use a megaphone to speak on the ITV series, angering their fellow contestants.
In Tuesday’s episode, The Only Way Is Essex (Towie) star Ella Rae Wise, who Siwa had previously accused of spreading “drama” about her and Hughes, spoke about their punishment away from the two friends.
Wise, 24, told the other housemates, including Thompson, draq queen Danny Beard and TV presenter Angellica Bell: “I told you they’ve been having secret conversations.”
Thompson, 66, said the megaphone was “not a punishment, that’s a punishment for us”.
“They’re laughing because they’re annoying us,” the two-time Olympic decathlon gold medallist added.
He also said: “You know it’s part of the plan. Every time they get a punishment and all that, they get the air time.”
In the diary room, Thompson said: “In athletics, you go to a major competition, and you’ve got to spend two or three weeks with people who actually you don’t like, because you’re all after to try and win the same things.
“And this is a little bit like that. JoJo and Chris, they’ve been on all of the (reality TV) shows, they know how it’s played, so they’re playing the professional game as they should, because that’s what they are.”
Hughes previously broke another rule by speaking about the nominations each housemate has to make in secret, and was told to stand in a wheelie bin during Monday’s episode.
Sneak Peek 📢 No more secret conversations for JoJo and Chris! But who is really suffering from their punishment? #CBBUK pic.twitter.com/I2GzABSrRW
— Celebrity Big Brother UK (@bbuk) April 15, 2025
The same instalment saw EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer receive the most nominations from the housemates and put up for eviction alongside Coronation Street star Jack P Shepherd and TV presenter Trisha Goddard.
Goddard, 67, speculated that DJ and wellness brand owner Palmer, 52, would be the second evicted after a public vote.
She said: “I think Patsy might be evicted tomorrow because maybe she does too much meditation and people are not arsed about that.”
The housemate going home on Tuesday will be revealed on Celebrity Big Brother on ITV.
The series continues on ITV and ITVX.
