Louis Walsh speaking in Celebrity Big Brother exit interview
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Louis Walsh shares secret health ordeal in Celebrity Big Brother house: ‘Medics calmed me down’

Louis made it all the way to the CBB final

Louis Walsh has shared how Celebrity Big Brother medics helped “calm him” when he suffered a panic attack during his time on the show.

The former X Factor judge, 71, admitted that night times in the house “scared” him. He said he would wake up in the middle of the night “worrying about things”.

Louis said he would wake up worrying about his mother and his health, as well as other things.

Louis Walsh speaking on Celebrity Big Brother final
CBB star Louis said he suffered panic attacks in the house (Credit: ITV)

Louis Walsh on Celebrity Big Brother

Speaking to The Sun, Louis said: “We weren’t allowed to get up and do anything if we woke up in the night so I’d wake at 3, 4 in the morning, and just lie there in the dark, worrying about things. Worrying about my mother, my health, what I had said that day – for the first time ever, I suffered from anxiety.

“They gave me my prescription sleeping pills but they would only give me one rather than two and after they wore off I was awake, panicking. The night times scared me.”

He added: “But there are medics on-call 24/7, and they were brilliant. They spoke to me and calmed me down after I started having a panic attack and they really helped calm me down.”

Louis Walsh smiling in Celebrity Big Brother promo picture
Louis finished in fourth place in the CBB final (Credit: ITV)

Louis said he’s never had therapy before and “not even when I was diagnosed with the cancer”. But, in the house, he spoke to psychotherapists.

He admitted it was “surreal because you couldn’t see them, you just spoke to them through an ear piece”. Louis said they “really helped” him.

Worrying about my mother, my health, what I had said that day – for the first time ever, I suffered from anxiety.

During his time in the house, Louis wasn’t afraid to voice his opinion on celebrities. Speaking to The Sun, Louis has vowed to “try and be nicer”.

He admitted being “a bit catty” and he always lets people “know what I think of them”.

Louis Walsh in the Celebrity Big Brother house
Louis wasn’t afraid to share his opinions in the house (Credit: ITV)

However, Louis still hit out at the “fake” behaviour from his fellow housemates on the show. He said they “all wanted to win,” especially Fern Britton and Nikita Kuzmin.

Read more: Ronan Keating’s ‘foul-mouthed attack’ on Louis Walsh resurfaces as he brands him ‘jealous’

He said Strictly dancer Nikita and former This Morning host Fern “wanted it the most,” accusing them of playing “for the cameras”.

Louis finished in fourth place on CBB. Nikita was runner-up and David Potts was announced as the CBB 2024 winner.

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Rebecca Carter
Associate Editor (News)