Celebrity Big Brother’s Calum Best admits he appears on reality TV for money: ‘I have to earn a living’

Calum Best, who most recently appeared on the nineteenth series of Celebrity Big Brother, has confessed that he needs reality television gigs to earn a living and pay his bills.

The 35-year-old model, and son of footballer George Best, revealed in the latest episode of Channel 5’s In Therapy that he would love to be able to say no to reality television but he’s not in a position to turn the opportunities down.

“If I could easily say no… I wouldn’t be doing f****** reality TV if I didn’t need to me,” he said during the candid session. “I do these things as I need to earn a living and this is the path I’m on.”

Calum has taken part in a string of reality TV shows including Fool Around With on E4 and The Match on Sky One, as well as ITV’s Celebrity Love Island, which he won with Bianca Gascoigne in 2006.

Reflecting on his time as a reality TV participant, Calum added: “I haven’t been on TV for 15 years and when jobs come, they come. I can’t say no to them and can’t miss out on being paid. I have to get paid.

“I know it’s not all about the money but at the moment it is, I have to pay rent and sort things out.”

Therapist Mandy Saligari – an addiction, parenting and relationship expert – suggested it was “sad” to here that was the case, adding: “It just feels exploitative of you, if that’s true.”

Calum replied: “The reality of what you’re saying and the raw truth is, I sometimes regret doing some of these things and wish I’d stood my ground more, waiting for the bigger, better, less exploiting picture.

“But I’m not in a position to do that or sit back and wait and hope I don’t have to exploit something to make a living.”

During the show, Calum – who was evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house on Tuesday evening – also opened up about his difficult relationship with late father George, the implications of his “bad boy” reputation and his apparent commitment issues.

You will be able to catch-up with Calum Best In Therapy on My5 from tomorrow.