'I've been on Big Brother - here's who's impressed me in this year's Celebrity version' - Lateysha Grace

Laytesha Grace was on the Welsh MTV reality show The Valleys from 2012 to 2014, and then was chosen for the 17th series of Big Brother in 2016. Since then she’s appeared in Million Dollar Baby and Celebrity Ex on the Beach.

She says that Big Brother changed her life, as in her words, in 2016 she had just had a baby and “was broke, living in a council house and I was on benefits”

Lateysha, who also made headlines while demonstrating twerking to host Rylan - because her skirt open and revealed her knickers on live TV - spoke to NationalWorld about this year’s Celebrity edition.

Who has impressed you so far in the Celebrity Big Brother house - has anyone stood out for good or bad reasons?

Mickey Rourke has obviously stood out, but he’s not come across well with some of the things he’s said, making derogatory comments about the LGBTQ+ community. I hope to god he changes and takes on other people’s perspectives in the house.

I feel like deep down, beneath all the layers we’re seeing at the moment, he is a decent person. I really hope he gets to show that side of himself and that reflects in a change in his behaviour.

JoJo Siwa has really shocked me as well, but in a good way. I used to see her going viral on social media and people making fun of her for her dances, so before she went in I just thought she’d be quite annoying to be honest. However, I’ve already seen enough for me to think that she’s a normal person who just has to put on a façade for social media. It’s so nice so see a chilled side to her which I don’t think anyone has really seen before. She seems much more mature than I thought she’d be.

Chris Hughes seems like a really decent person as well. I liked how he stood up for JoJo in the Mickey situation. I feel like people were tiptoeing around him because they thought he was a big star, but Chris wasn’t afraid to step in and have JoJo’s back.

I also really like Danny Beard. I love how fabulous [they are] with drag. [They seem] like [they] won’t take any s**t from anyone.

Do you have any tips for the celebrities for surviving in the Big Brother house?

When I went in there I was just befriending everyone and having a good old holiday for myself – I actually forgot that I was in a game which I was supposed to be trying to win!

My advice would be to make friends, have fun and enjoy the experience. That said, you also have to remember that you’re in there to win and you might have to step on people’s toes to do that.

What are your favourite memories from taking part in the show?

My favourite memory from my time in the Big Brother house was just being cut off from the real world and being able to forget about the outside for a period of time.

I remember the evenings when we used to run to get our drinks and try to hide them from the cameras because we were only allowed a certain amount – that was great fun. I just remember it being a genuinely good time where you could forget about the stresses of real life for a bit.

I made connections that I wouldn’t necessarily have made otherwise and one of the things I really miss are the conversations. Because you’re in there 24/7 and there are only a handful of people to get to know, you wind up speaking to people for hours and knowing everything about them. I miss those deep conversations with the housemates. I loved doing the tasks as well. It was all just such a cool experience.

How has life changed for you since leaving the Big Brother house?

Big Brother definitely changed my life. Prior to going in there I’d obviously done The Valleys, I’d just had a baby and I wasn’t really doing any TV stuff at that point. I was broke, living in a council house and I was on benefits. I just wanted to get back into TV and start doing what I loved again.

When I got the call, I was crying my eyes out. I knew it was my chance to shine. On a show like The Valleys you’re edited to come across as the character that the show wants you to be. On Big Brother you can’t pretend to be anyone other than yourself and I loved being able to show the real me.

Lateysha Grace was speaking to NationalWorld courtesy of Heart Bingo.