Celebrity Big Brother has given the nation many memorable moments – the whole ‘David’s dead’ debacle springs instantly to mind, and Ann Widdecombe’s inability to use a pair of hair straighteners is up there.
We’ve had love stories that have warmed hearts – Chantelle Houghton and Samuel Preston were one generation’s Molly-Mae Hague and Tommy Fury – but it is the disagreements that give the series some much-needed spice, and are remembered long after the glitzy finale. (Who could ever forget Gemma Collins V Tiffany Pollard or Nicola McLean V Kim Woodburn?).
Exactly twelve years ago in 2012 on August 15, it took just minutes for the first argument to erupt due to prior ‘history’, but not everything was as it seemed.
Cheryl Fergison and Julie Goodyear got into it before the fizz had even run out on series 10’s launch night, but it was later revealed to their housemates that it was part of the ‘Drama Queens’ secret mission. When I say secret, you say mission… no?
The special anniversary was pointed out by fans, including Lewis Pringle who called it ‘an important day’ on X. While BrattyBarbl noted that two more events took place – ‘Can’t get over the fact that today is the anniversary of Sharon’s “My son is in the kitchen eating a biscuit”, Vanessa’s “Bubbly’s in the fridge” AND Julie Goodyear and Cheryl Fergison’s “Don’t talk Shite”.’
Back to CBB – the soap stars were told to put their experience playing George Michael superfan Heather Trott on EastEnders, and feisty, leopard-print clad landlad Bet Lynch in Coronation Street, to good use by staging the ultimate showdown, and boy did they deliver.
In order to make it realistic, an annoyed Cheryl, 58, accused Julie, 82, of giving her dirty looks from across the room.
‘These guys don’t know the history, and you’re giving me looks from across the way,’ she fumed. ‘I don’t like it very much. You know the situation and you know what you’ve done.’
A seemingly-defensive Julie responded: ‘I haven’t done nothing.’
With their housemates, including So Solid Crew member MC Harvey, Loose Women star Coleen Nolan, Spandau Ballet singer Martin Kemp and model Rhian Sugden not giving their altercation much attention, they stepped it up a notch.
While role-playing, Julie uttered three words, that unbeknownst to her at the time, would go on to be endlessly memed. ‘Don’t talk s***te,’ she shouted, giving us an insight into what soaps would look like if they were broadcast post-watershed.
‘I knew they’d be a problem as soon as you came in. I know there was be,’ a flustered Cheryl responded.
To increase the dramatics, Julie then chucked water over Cheryl and told her to: ‘Leave it. F***ing leave it,’ before adding ‘I don’t take s**t off anybody.’
As Cheryl began to cry, eventual winner Julian Clary couldn’t help laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
Luckily for the housemates, they didn’t have to live alongside the warring actresses, as the truth was set free. For their troubles, they were awarded a soap-themed party in the garden.
Despite the Bafta-worthy performance, Cheryl became the second celebrity to be evicted from the Big Brother house.
Since her appearance she has continued acting, with a brief voice-only cameo in EastEnders – her character taped a message for Dot Branning (June Brown), which she found on her final day working in the laundrette.
In 2022, she played a fictionalised version of herself in a Netflix mockumentary sitcom created by Catherine Tate called Hard Cell. She also filmed a cameo for fellow former EastEnders star Danny Dyer’s series Mr Bigstuff.
Julie survived a little longer and left the house on day 22, becoming the sixth evictee.
It was revealed last July that Julie had been diagnosed with dementia.
Mark Llewellin, the partner of the late Coronation Street icon Roy Barraclough, recently said: ‘It’s wrong to say [Julie is] suffering with dementia, [she is] living with dementia. It changes what you do and how you look at life.
‘Julie’s been very brave and very strong about that, and it’s changed life for her husband Scott [Brand]. But I have to take my hat off to Scott, he is phenomenal.’
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He continued: ‘They always wanted to go public with [her] dementia, on the basis that it could help those also going through a similar thing, and to see Julie in the same position. It brought in thousands of letters from people.’
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