Big Brother contestant Hallie has come out as transgender to her fellow housemates, admitting she felt she wasn’t being ‘authentic’ by not telling them.
The youth worker, 18, was seen entering the show’s famous house on ITV on Sunday night as the programme returned to British television after a five year hiatus.
She chose not to tell her fellow series contestants her story on the launch night but had a change of hear the following day.
In scenes set to air on ITV2 and ITVX on Monday night, the housemates will be seen gathered at the dining table discussing their living situation.
Hallie says: ‘Hey guys, I just have something to say. Yesterday I feel like I wasn’t being 100% authentic in myself.’

Emotional: Big Brother contestant Hallie, 18, has come out as transgender to her fellow housemates, admitting she felt she wasn’t being ‘authentic’ by not telling them
She adds: ‘I thought I’d let everyone know I’m trans, if you didn’t know already. I just thought I’d make that loud and clear. I’m a trans woman if you didn’t know.’
Hallie’s fellow housemates give her a hug, with Chanelle saying: ‘Good for you. That’s very brave of you.”
As the housemates show their support to Hallie, Dylan says: ‘This is a moment. I like it.’
Hallie says: ‘I don’t know why I was nervous,’ prompting Farida to say: ‘You don’t need to be nervous.’
Trish tells Hallie: ‘We’ve got you.’
At 18, Hallie was the youngest of the 16 housemates to enter the Big Brother house during the launch night on Sunday.
On what made her apply to take part in the show, she said: ‘Just the whole experience. I feel like Big Brother is the biggest social experiment and I want to be a part of it.
‘It’s about getting my face out there and just having fun, enjoying life. I’m only 18 so I didn’t grow up watching it but as I got older, I would watch clips on YouTube and stuff, so I’ve been a fan. And yeah, just for fun, really?’
On what she’s looking forward to most about the experience, she added: ‘The tasks and all the different personalities. I can imagine it’s all extroverted people and big personalities. Just the whole experience.’
She said her friends and family would describe her as a ‘diva’, explaining: ‘I speak my mind but I’m also a very lovely person. I’m a girl’s girl, for sure. I’m honest, fun and, yeah, just brilliant.’
On why she’s most likely to be nominated, she said: ‘Being lazy and having an opinion. I’m quite opinionated, I like speaking my mind and not many people like that. I’m quite real.’
Big Brother has returned to British television with a barman, make-up artist, butcher and youth worker among the contestants entering the famous house.
The influential social experiment, which sees housemates live together in a custom-built home for weeks without access to the outside world in a bid to win £100,000, has opened its doors for the first time in five years.
The reality series returned to ITV on Sunday, after it was axed by Channel 5 amid a ratings slump in 2018, with new hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best introducing a batch of 16 contestants to the brand-new house in front of a live studio audience.
Jenkin, 25, from Bridgend in Wales, who described himself as a barman, cleaner and bingo-caller and will “bring the drama”, was the first contestant to enter the new house.
He was closely followed by 50-year-old “proud Muslim” and make-up artist Farida and butcher Tom, 21, from Somerset, who said he was “funny and outgoing”.
Meanwhile, the youngest contestant to enter the Big Brother house was 18-year-old youth worker Hallie, who has never lived away from home before.
Big Brother started in 2000 on Channel 4 before Channel 5 took over in 2011, airing in the UK for a total of 18 years.
Ahead of the launch show, Odudu and Best asked fans of the show to be kind online, posting a video to the official Big Brother Instagram sending a reminder that the “housemates are real people with their real lives”.
Odudu added: “Let’s make this the most positive series yet and give all of the housemates the respect that you would wish for if you were a housemate too. Is that a deal?”
Similar to recent series of ITV’s Love Island, housemates and their family and friends have also been asked to not post any content about the show on their individual social media accounts while they are in the house.
It comes as broadcasters’ duty of care policies have faced scrutiny following a number of controversies involving on-screen talent.
While the new batch of housemates have received respect and inclusion training to set out the “expectation for appropriate behaviour and language” before they take part in the show, ITV previously said.
Big Brother continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.