Rylan enters the Big Brother House (From Echo)

Rylan enters the Big Brother House

4:42pm Thursday 3rd January 2013 in Local News

STANFORD-Le-Hope’s Rylan Cark who became a star of last year’s X Factor has entered the Big Brother house.

In what was the worst kept TV secret, Rylan joined other celebs in the BB house tonight ahead of the show’s first airing on Channel 5.

Rylan, who faced criticisim for a lack of singing ability when he appeared on X Factor, had already been tipped to win the show before it was even confirmed he had been signed-up to appear.

In an interview with the Echo last month when he came to Basilson to visit friends and family, he said he would be delighted to appear.

Drug-ban horse racing champion Frankie Dettori and former Steps star Claire Richards are also in the house.

They are joined by ex-EastEnders and Footballers Wives actress Gillian Taylforth, model Paula Hamilton and former football star Neil "Razor" Ruddock.

One absentee is comedian Jim Davidson who had been due to appear but was dropped after being arrested and questioned by detectives over allegations of sexual offences which he denies.

Rylan is still favourite to win the show by bookmaker William Hill, with Dettori next.

Also taking part in the new series are Neighbours star Ryan Maloney - who has played Toadfish in the Australian soap since 1995 - as well as former Coronation Street actor Sam Robertson and reality TV couple Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt.

One-time Heartbeat actress Tricia Penrose and glamour model Lacey Banghard complete the line-up.

There had been rumours that wild-child Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan would be taking part but she was missing from the list of stars who rolled up to the studios at Elstree, Hertfordshire, to enter the house.

The contestants will spend the next few days holed up in the custom-built property in full glare of TV cameras with a winner emerging later this month if they can prove popular enough with viewers and their own housemates. The series is expected to last three weeks, with the first eviction due next Wednesday.

The series of Celebrity Big Brother is the fourth to be screened by Channel 5 in the space of 18 months, after resurrecting the show which had been dumped by Channel 4.