Louis Walsh has shared more details about his time on Celebrity Big Brother, including the huge fee he was promised.
The music manager came fourth in the final of the iconic reality show earlier this month, after producers spent years trying to book him as a contestant.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent about his stint in the CBB house, Louis revealed how show bosses enticed him with a massive pay cheque.
“They convinced me. They said I was going to be safe, it was going to be fun, that I would probably win it,” he said.
“I told them I don’t want to win it. Don’t waste it on me. Give it to someone else.
“They said they really, really wanted me. They kept on at me, and still I said no, because I was scared. I don’t want to be a celebrity. It’s a fake world. I have no desire. I like music and staying under the radar. I still haven’t watched it. And I don’t want to.”
Louis confirmed that he was paid “a lot of money” to appear on the show for three weeks, and revealed he earned close to €1 million.
Despite his hefty pay packet, Louis left the show feeling “very vulnerable”, as he struggled with crippling insomnia and anxiety during his time in the CBB house.
“We were all in one room together. It was pitch dark. Each night I heard the ‘click’, which meant we were locked in. That did something to me up there,” he explained, tapping his head.
“I don’t know what it did, but it did something. I became agitated. I don’t sleep at night-time. I could only take one sleeping tablet. They gave me that.
“But I’m an insomniac. I like night. I’ve always been up at night-time since I was a child. That goes back to my granny. I used to sit up with her half the night and we would talk. I’m trying to change it now. I’m trying to be healthier. But they’d all be snoring and I couldn’t wait for the morning.”
“My mind went a bit crazy. I was thinking ‘Why am I here?’, ‘What’s this about?’, ‘What am I going to do with my life?’, ‘Money’s no good to me’. I thought of everything.”
“And I was thinking about my mother. She’s 93. I hope she’s OK. When you’re on your own in the dark, everything is worse.”
“It’s amazing how much it can f**k with you,” he continued. “And the problem is when you come out of the house you still think you’re on microphone and you’re looking around you. It takes you days and days to re-adjust.
“I just felt very vulnerable. I still feel vulnerable now, if I’m being honest. I have to readjust to normal life.”
The Irish star attracted plenty of headlines during his time on Celebrity Big Brother, thanks to his unfiltered comments and opinions on acts he’s represented in the past.
The 71-year-old branded his former act Jedward “vile”, and also referred to Ronan Keating as a “pr*ck”.
Addressing his comments in the house, Louis said: “Every pantomime needs a villain. I knew what they wanted. They wanted somebody gobby that would say things that nobody else would say. And they needed that because everybody else was f**king boring.
“I just say things. It’s not meant to be vicious or bad. It was panto. And I knew I had to play along.”
