Big Brother has become renowned for its bust-ups, tears and bizarre antics across 25 years on our screens.
But it has also provided the platform for many budding romances, with some housemates getting rather comfortable in each other’s company and starting relationships as a result.
Unfortunately most end in abject failure, spawning rumours of a Big Brother curse to match that of its primetime rival Strictly Come Dancing.
It all kicked off in 2001, when Helen Adams fell for Paul Clarke despite having a boyfriend, leading to a five-year romance once they got back into the real world before realising they were better as friends.
Since that ill-fated couple collapsed, various contestants have hooked up and later broken up, with one pair even starting a show together and another blaming a conman for ending their relationship.
Now, following the news that Jordan Sangha and Henry Southan have split after 17 months, they can take solace in the fact they join a long tradition of lovers who have broken up after meeting on the show.
Big Brother has provided the platform for many budding romances, with housemates getting comfortable in each other’s company (pictured: Jordan Sangha and Henry Southan in 2023)
Unfortunately, most end in abject failure, spawning rumours of a Big Brother curse (pictured: Josie Gibson and John James Parton in 2010)
Various contestants have hooked up and later broken up (pictured: Lisa Appleton and Mario Marconi in 2008)
Helen Adams and Paul Clarke
The original Big Brother love story, Helen and Paul got on incredibly well from the moment they met each other in the second series in 2001.
Helen, now a 46-year-old hairdresser, was just 22 when she took part in the show and quickly became one of the favourites to win with her lovable and ditsy nature.
The pair captured the public imagination and Helen finished second behind winner Brian Dowling, and was soon seen embracing and reuniting with Paul outside the house.
They went on to date for five years and even moved in together, but opted to keep their romance out of the spotlight.
The original Big Brother love story, Helen Adams and Paul Clarke got on incredibly well from the moment they met each other in the second series in 2001
The pair captured the public imagination, with Helen finishing second before being seen embracing and reuniting with Paul outside the house
They went on to date for five years and even moved in together, but opted to keep their romance out of the spotlight (pictured in 2001)
Helen made a slew of TV appearances on shows such as Loose Women, GMTV and Ready, Steady Cook before she and Paul split in 2006.
The couple blamed the pressures of fame on their breakup, with Paul telling Heat Magazine at the time: ‘For the last five years, on a daily basis people have been asking me, “how’s Helen? When are you getting married?”, and I’ve never met these people before in my life. It starts to drain you.
‘It’s not that I don’t like talking about Helen, I just wanted to get away from it and be a private person again.’
Helen added: ‘I felt like the Wicked Witch because I was first to say something. But then Paul said to me, “would you want to marry me?” and I said, “I don’t think I would” and he said, “well, I don’t want to marry you either”. And we laughed.’
Paul then stepped out of the limelight and built a successful career in car design.
It’s thought that after moving to Bristol to work in hairdressing, Helen has since married and now has a daughter.
Sophie Pritchard and Lee Davey
Lee Davey and Sophie Pritchard only spent eight days together in the house during the 2002 season but it was long enough to kickstart a very public romance
While Sophie appears to have disappeared off the showbiz radar, bodybuilder Lee went on to work as a stripper in Dream Boys (pictured in 2003)
Lee and Sophie only spent eight days together in the house during the 2002 season but it was long enough to kickstart a very public romance.
The couple, whose relationship blossomed from Sophie’s arrival on day 10 until Lee’s departure on day 18, were the first ever Big Brother housemates to get married after Lee proposed live on breakfast TV.
Sophie said at the time: ‘I’d got the newspaper and seen who’d gone in and thought, “Oh, he’s quite cute, I like him.”
‘And when I was in I thought, “He’s even cuter in real life.” We did flirt, but we didn’t kiss in the house because he had a girlfriend.’
The pair exchanged vows a year later at their star-studded wedding in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and went on to have a son called Maxwell – but things ended 10 months later.
While Sophie appears to have disappeared off the showbiz radar, bodybuilder Lee went on to work as a stripper in Dream Boys.
He then spent time writing for the French football website PSG Talk, before joining talkSPORT.
Michelle Bass and Stuart Wilson
Michelle Bass and Stuart Wilson starred on the fifth season of the show in 2004 and they could not wait to begin their passionate romance together
So much so, they are believed to have been the first ever couple to have had sex in the Big Brother house
They sadly split up just one year after their stint on the show but Michelle re-entered the iconic house for Ultimate Big Brother in 2010 (pictured in 2004)
Michelle and Stuart starred on the fifth season of the show in 2004 and they could not wait to begin their passionate romance together.
So much so, they are believed to have been the first ever couple to have had sex in the Big Brother house.
The popular pair’s relationship inspired a ‘Fake Wedding’ challenge on the show, although Stuart passed the honour onto two fellow contestants as he ‘felt weird’ about it.
They also famously romped under the kitchen table, but unfortunately the pair split up just one year after their stint on the show.
Michelle went on to marry hypnotist Steve McKeown and re-entered the iconic house for Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, making it to the semi-finals.
‘Chicken Stu’, meanwhile, had failed auditions for James Bourne’s band Son of Dork.
Speaking about the end of her relationship with Stu in 2018, Michelle told The Sun: ‘I think me and Stu were together for a year after Big Brother but we just went our separate ways in the end. It just wasn’t meant to be.’
Pete Bennett and Nikki Grahame
Big Brother 7 winner Pete Bennett and Northwood native Nikki Grahame fell for each other in the house and enjoyed a brief romance after leaving the show
On screen, they bonded over their vulnerabilities, with Pete famously becoming the first contestant to have Tourette’s syndrome, while she had battled anorexia
He called off their romance after just a month, but the pair remained close friends until Nikki’s tragic death in 2021 (pictured in 2006)
Big Brother 7 winner Pete and Northwood native Nikki fell for each other in the house and enjoyed a brief romance after leaving the show.
On screen, they bonded over their vulnerabilities, with Pete famously becoming the first contestant to have Tourette’s syndrome, while Nikki had battled anorexia.
He called off their romance after just a month, but the pair remained close friends.
‘Without Big Brother to tell her off she was another level,’ Pete said at the time. ‘I think it could’ve ended nicer but, no, I’ve got no regrets.’
Nikki sadly died in 2021 at the age of 38 after a tough fight against anorexia. In the weeks before her tragic death, Pete visited the star and shared a snap of the pair hugging.
After she passed, he paid tribute by saying: ‘We loved you, Nik. You were a true winner. You were great, you were beautiful, you rocked it, mate. Just want to say, we’ll miss you, babe.’
Nikki previously opened up about her relationship with Pete, noting that she ‘loved him’ at the time but it was ‘never meant to be’.
She said: ‘I hated it when I realised I was falling in love with Pete Bennett. It was never meant to be. But I loved him at the time. Truly, it was special.’
Chanelle Hayes and Ziggy Lichman
Chanelle Hayes and Ziggy Lichman were fondly known as the ‘Posh and Becks’ of the Big Brother world after they appeared on the show in 2007
But they sadly ended up splitting acrimoniously six months on following a series of blazing rows
They were fondly known as the ‘Posh and Becks’ of the Big Brother world after they appeared on the show in 2007, but sadly ended up splitting acrimoniously six months on following a series of blazing rows.
Ziggy and Chanelle formed an infamous on/off relationship in the house which culminated in Ziggy, aka Zachary, using the iconic line ‘it’s not you it’s me’ before she left the house voluntarily on Day 62.
He was 26 when he appeared on the series and finished in fourth, keeping a low-profile since leaving the show.
Meanwhile, Chanelle – who was just 18 when she entered the house – stayed in the public eye.
In 2018, they reunited on Loose Women to talk about their former romance.
Mother-of-two Chanelle accused Ziggy of ghosting her back in the day, but he had no doubt they were in love.
She said in 2020: ‘We’ll chat every now and again. I don’t talk to anybody else from the show really.’
Lisa Appleton and Mario Marconi
Big Brother legend Lisa soared to fame in 2008 when she and Mario made history as the first couple to enter the house together
Their relationship remained a secret to their housemates until a shock task revealed everything. Later, Mario proposed to her on live TV
Big Brother legend Lisa soared to fame in 2008 when she and Mario made history as the first couple to enter the house together.
Their relationship remained a secret to their housemates until a shock task revealed all.
Things took an even more dramatic turn when Mario proposed on Big Brother and they eventually got married in 2010 on the show The Wedding House.
But in 2013 they called time on their eight-and-a-half year romance, with Lisa claiming that they had been ‘unhappy for a while’.
She told Manchester Evening News: ‘After a few years of highs, I hit rock bottom.’
Lisa explained the final straw in the pair’s marriage came when they were duped by convicted conman Selva Carmichael into being followed by cameras for six months to film a fake reality show.
Carmichael – dubbed ‘The Silver Fox’ – ‘destroyed’ her two-year marriage to Mario with his lies after they filmed for 18 hours a day for a documentary which they believed would make them stars.
Lisa said: ‘He destroyed my life, confidence and dignity. When he disappeared, we were penniless and homeless, we had nothing. Mario and I were unhappy for a while – our whole world fell apart around us when we got conned.’
It was revealed in 2023 that Lisa has been forced to work as a delivery driver to make ends meet, years after starring on the reality show.
She suffered hardships as a result of her newfound fame, admitting she was turned away by potential employers which resulted in her being made homeless.
After her split from Mario, Lisa struggled with depression and comfort eating, battling a pork sausage addiction that saw her eating up to 50 bangers a day.
Josie Gibson and John James Parton
This Morning presenter Josie soared to victory in the 11th series of the show in 2010, thanks in part to her high-profile relationship with John James
They later starred in a spin-off show Josie And John James: What Happened Next, but their love faded fast and by 2012 they had split up (pictured in 2011)
This Morning presenter Josie soared to victory in the 11th series of the show in 2010, winning an incredible 77 per cent of the public vote, the most in history.
The ‘randy mare’ was helped by her high-profile relationship with fellow contestant John James, with whom she later starred in a spin-off show Josie And John James: What Happened Next.
Their love faded fast, however, and by 2012 they had split up.
Josie has become one of the most recognisable faces on British television, thanks to her popular presenting stints on This Morning and a successful run on I’m A Celebrity in 2023.
She is mother to Reggie, seven, and recently hosted a show titled Around The World In First Class where she sampled the culinary delights and general luxury of cabins on some of the world’s most fancy planes.
John James, meanwhile, returned to his native Australia where he works as a DJ in Melbourne, also appearing as a bombshell on the first season of Love Island Australia.
Jordan Sangha and Henry Southan
Jordan and Henry left viewers gripped when their close friendship blossomed into romance on ITV’s first series of BB in 2023
Sadly they became the latest victim of the Big Brother romance curse on Tuesday as they revealed they had split after 17 months together
Jordan and Henry had viewers gripped as their close friendship blossomed into romance on ITV’s first series of BB in 2023, and just a week after the season ended, they made their relationship official.
While they began as close pals, things took a turn when Henry admitted he was developing feelings for his fellow contestant, despite the latter’s confession he had his own confusing connection with housemate Matty.
After celebrating Jordan’s Big Brother victory at a boozy wrap party, the pair revealed that it took just three days for them to reunite.
Jordan said: ‘It was a strange one for me, but when I first got your number I was a bit taken aback that this person actually exists in the real world.’
Back in March last year, the couple shared how they were ‘taken aback’ to see the ‘endearing’ reactions from fans of their romance on social media.
The pair had kept people well-updated with their romance on social media, and the former lawyer, despite earning an army of supporters for his sarcastic sense of humour, is no stranger to sharing romantic poems about his boyfriend.
Sadly they became the latest victim of the Big Brother curse on Tuesday as they revealed they had split after 17 months together.
The pair announced the ‘incredibly sad’ news that they’d decided to go their separate ways.
Henry confirmed the split on Instagram Stories, writing: ‘After a lot of thought, Jordan and I have decided to go our separate ways.
‘It’s incredibly sad, and we’re both hurting, but we know it’s the right step.
‘We’re so grateful for the love and support you’ve shown us – thank you. Please give us some space as we figure things out privately.’
Jordan went on to share the break-up in his own post, writing: ‘After many happy times, memories and precious experiences, Henry and I have parted ways.
‘I want to thank everyone who has supported us. We will always remain close friends. Cheers.’
