Celebrity Big Brother fans were left confused during Friday’s episode as Gary Goldsmith branded himself a ‘national villain’.
The maternal uncle of the Princess of Wales became emotional as he said that he has not had ‘true peace’ after he admitted to assaulting his wife.
Gary, 58, said: ‘I think peace is something always to be striving for. I thought I was having a really cool life until something hits you.
‘One day I was Gary, a businessman having a laugh with a great family. And then the next minute, I’m a national villain. So, I don’t really know what true peace is if I’m honest.’
Viewers were shocked, with one penning on social media platform X: ‘Babes no one knows who you are!’
Celebrity Big Brother fans were left confused during Friday’s episode as Gary Goldsmith branded himself a ‘national villain’
Another said: ‘Googling to find out which country Gary is a villain in because it’s not the UK for sure’
Gary is nominated for the first Celebrity Big Brother eviction on Friday night alongside The Real Housewives Of Cheshire star Lauren Simon.
During a task in the upcoming episode, where housemates are transported to a celestrial retreat, Fern Britton questions Gary on whether he had ‘found peace within’.
To which he responded by branding himself a ‘national villain’.
The brother of Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, was fined £5,000 and given a community order in November 2017 after pleading guilty to one count of assault by beating.
His wife accused him of taking drugs, the court was told, and a London taxi driver witnessed her being knocked to the ground outside their home.
Goldsmith’s inclusion on the show has been criticised by Women’s Aid, who said ‘the inclusion of men convicted of abuse in entertainment programmes will already be a sign that these crimes are not taken seriously’ and the charity advised the programme to consider his appearance.
The maternal uncle of the Princess of Wales became emotional as he said that he has not had ‘true peace’ after he admitted to assaulting his wife
Viewers were shocked, with one penning on social media platform X: ‘Babes no one knows who you are!’
In a statement from the show, he previously said: ‘I’m not perfect and I made a mistake, a personal row seven years ago which was publicly exposed that I’ve worked endlessly for seven years to put right.
‘The offence is long since spent however my regret continues.’
While Gary’s emotional admissions earned praise from many of the housemates, Ekin-Su Culculoglu quickly admitted she ‘didn’t buy’ his words.
Speaking to Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh, she said: ‘I didn’t buy anything,’ before the X Factor judge added: ‘No nor me, he’s trying to be funny all the time and he’s not.’
Sharon noted: ‘And he lied when she said he doesn’t want to be a celebrity,’ while Ekin-Su agreed: ‘Everything’s a lie, you can see whose genuine, you can see whose hiding.’
Thursday episode’s of Celebrity Big Brother: Late & Live had teased that Louis Walsh and Simon would have to enter a wheelie bin after the pair broke the rules.
Louis and Lauren had been ‘speculating or guessing on who has nominated whom or who might nominate whom in the future’, according to Big Brother.
It was also disclosed to the wider group that Simon had said YouTuber Zeze Millz ‘hates me’.
Gary, 58, said: ‘I think peace is something always to be striving for. I thought I was having a really cool life until something hits you’
While Gary’s emotional admissions earned praise from many of the housemates, Ekin-Su Culculoglu quickly admitted she ‘didn’t buy’ his words
Millz told her: ‘I’m not bothered. I just don’t like the word hate. It’s a strong word. We’ve never had a conversation where you could feel like I hate you.’
Responding, Simon said: ‘I’m going to tell you the conversation. When I was making the fruit salad, you took the oranges and did it your way.
‘You went over to the table in front of my face and said ”This isn’t good enough for Lauren”. It wasn’t banter. It was rude to me.’
Friday’s show will also see the first live eviction of the series, with Gary and Lauren going head-to-head in a public vote.
Celebrity Big Brother continues on Friday at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX, followed by Late and Live at 10:15pm on ITV2.
CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER 2024: MEET THE LINEUP
SHARON OSBOURNE
AGE: 71
FAMOUS FOR: Being a member of the Osbourne family, married to rock legend husband Ozzy as well as being a judge on The X Factor.
GARY GOLDSMITH
AGE: 58
FAMOUS FOR: Being Kate Middleton’s ‘black sheep’ uncle.
EKIN-SU CULCULOGLU
AGE: 29
FAMOUS FOR: Winning Love Island in 2022
COLSON SMITH
AGE: 25
FAMOUS FOR: Playing Craig Tinker in Coronation Street
FERN BRITTON
AGE: 66
FAMOUS FOR: Nineties TV sensation, and acting as Phillip Schofield’s This Morning sidekick.
BRADLEY RICHES
AGE: 22
FAMOUS FOR: Starring in Netflix’s Heartstopper
MARISHA WALLACE
AGE: 38
FAMOUS FOR: Broadway actress and singer, with roles in Dreamgirls and Aladdin
LOUIS WALSH
AGE: 71
FAMOUS FOR: His stint as an X Factor judge following a prestigious career as a music manager to bands like Westlife and Boyzone.
DAVID POTTS
AGE: 30
FAMOUS FOR: Ibiza Weekender
ZEZE MILLZ
AGE: 35
FAMOUS FOR: Social media star
LAUREN SIMON
AGE: 47
FAMOUS FOR: The Real Housewives of Cheshire
LEVI ROOTS
AGE: 65
FAMOUS FOR: One of Dragons’s Den’s biggest success stories.
NIKITA KUZMIN
AGE: 26
FAMOUS FOR: Being a professional on Strictly Come Dancing
