Celebrity Big Brother bosses 'have 2m war chest' to target Louis Walsh, Sarah Ferguson, Becky Vardy

Celebrity Big Brother bosses 'have 2m war chest' to target Louis Walsh,  Sarah Ferguson, Becky Vardy credit:Bang Showbiz
Celebrity Big Brother bosses 'have 2m war chest' to target Louis Walsh, Sarah Ferguson, Becky Vardy credit:Bang Showbiz

'Celebrity Big Brother' bosses are said to have a £2 million "war chest" to use to sign up stars for the new series - and Louis Walsh, Rebekah Vardy and Sarah Ferguson are at the top of their wanted list.

Former 'X Factor' judge Louis is the latest star who is said to be in talks about appearing in the new series of the celebrity version of the reality TV show, which will air on ITV for the first time in March.

A TV insider told The Sun newspaper: "The team behind the programme are being clever about the kind of celebs they’re considering.

"They don’t just want big names in there - they want stars who will bring something truly intriguing.

"Louis is just the kind of figure they want in the house - someone with serious life experience who not only has something to say, but isn’t afraid to say it.

"These characters have delivered some of the most outstanding moments of Celebrity Big Brother in the past and they’ll want to produce those again. That means they may need to splash some cash to secure the people they have their eye on - but it’s a worthwhile investment."

'Big Brother' returned to screens on ITV last year, and the channel are said to be keen for 'Celebrity Big Brother' to be "on a par" with their own 'I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!' show.

The source added: "They want this to be on a par with 'I’m A Celebrity', which has a similarly claustrophobic environment involving celebrities completing strange challenges under the glare of the public eye."

AJ Odudu and Will Best co-hosted the 'Big Brother' reboot in 2023, and the six-week series was one of ITVX's top five most streamed shows.

The presenting pair will also return to host 'Celebrity Big Brother', which last aired in 2018 on Channel 5 when Emma Willis was at the helm.