Celebrity Big Brother star Gary Goldsmith didn’t take long to reveal his connection to the royal family as the Princess of Wales’ uncle.
The 58-year-old businessman, who is the younger brother of Carole Middleton, first touched on his relationship with Kate during Monday’s premiere episode.
And in the upcoming episode, Gary will discuss his relationship with the royals in more detail as he is probed by co-stars Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne.
Gary didn’t hold back, explaining that it was “difficult at the best of times” to get in touch with his niece Kate, who is currently recovering from abdominal surgery.
Louis asks, “Is it hard for you to be related to famous people?”
Gary, who made millions owning a recruitment company, said: “I didn’t vote for it, it happened to me and then suddenly you have a light on you.”
Discussing his thoughts on his nickname, he says: “They call me the bag! Have you heard of a bundle? Bad uncle, apparently every family has them.
Gary has been married four times and was convicted in 2017 of assaulting his fourth wife Julie-Anne.
He pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating and was fined £5,000 and handed a 12-month community order with 20 rehabilitation sessions.
Gary then admitted: “It’s hard to relate to Kate at the best of times and she has children and I love the fact that she puts family first.”
Kate was seen for the first time since her operation during a car ride with her mother Carole and is expected to return to her duties at Easter.
Gary also admitted that he thinks both Will and Kate are “the saviors of the royal family” as heirs to the throne.
Louis presses: “I have to ask, have you met Meghan Markle?”
During Monday’s explosive launch episode, as Gary prepared to enter the house, host AJ Odudu wasted no time in asking him if his royal niece would be on board.
Gary joked: “He’ll hide behind the couch if he’s watching.”
Gary, who is reportedly worth £30m, has enjoyed a close relationship with the Princess of Wales over the years and attended her wedding to Prince William in 2011.
Kate was a bridesmaid at Harry’s first wedding to sales manager Miranda Foote in 1991, and her uncle previously revealed how the heartbroken royal sought solace at her Ibiza villa after splitting from William.
Kate has been away from official royal engagements since major surgery in January, with Kensington Palace insisting last week that she is still “doing well”.
She has not been seen at any royal events since visiting Sandringham Church on Christmas Day with William and their children George, Charlotte and Louis.
Harry is said to have told friends he wouldn’t do anything to hurt Kate or William – but he has previously attacked Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, so they could now be in the firing line.
The star also admitted that he hopes his participation in Big Brother will allow the public to see a different side of him.
He said: “I often read that people think I’m a bit of a bad boy. It would be great to clarify, but screwing people is probably one of my favorite hobbies.
“Every part of me is filled with mischief and danger.”
Referring to his four marriages, he added: “I’m an absolute living nightmare, there’s a reason I have four wives.”
Speaking to hosts AJ and Will upon entering the house, he added: “I’ll take everybody at face value but if they’re a bit mean or a bit rude I’ll be the bully.”
Gary exclusively told The Sun in January: “I only spoke to Carole to send my love and we talked about Kate given what was going on.
“A lot of things happen in the family moment. So she’s spinning a lot of plates right now, it’s pretty stressful. So the last thing I’m going to do is stress them out.
He added: “I think she [Carole] She’ll probably be looking at me from behind the sofa, slightly worried, but I think if the best version of Gary comes out, she’ll be very proud of me – that’s what we were hoping for!’
Gary has already spoken out in support of Kate – including to the Mail on Sunday in March 2021 following Harry and Meghan’s infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey.
At the time, he said: “I’ve known Kate since she was born and she doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. It’s just not in her nature.
“She’s even more beautiful on the inside than she is on the outside. If anyone had a hissy fit, it had to be Megan. Kate would try to make peace. I would fight for Kate’s honor until the day I die. She is the most remarkable person I have ever met.
He previously spoke out against Harry and Meghan following the release of Spare and is known for his outspoken opinions about the couple. Writing for the Mail last year, he denounced Harry Spare’s autobiography as “unbiased, self-serving … fluff”.
Elsewhere in the upcoming episode, Zeze Millz questions Louis about why she was chosen as one of the three who could face elimination this week.
Fern tells Sharon: “How could you judge three of them at once? Terrible!”
Louis comes face to face with Zeze, who asks, “What were the criteria?”
Lewis replies: “I’m not telling you, it was who we liked and who we didn’t like!” Adding that it was “On first impressions, I can’t say more.”
Zeze questions: “You didn’t like me at first impression?”
Lewis also reportedly landed in hot water with fellow contestant Lauren.
The first explosive row is said to have already erupted when Louis and Lauren fell out after they both wanted the same double bed, reports The Sun.
Just hours after entering, the famous faces headed to the bedroom to declare where they wanted to sleep.
Lauren had settled into the plush bed only to be kicked out by Louis, who also wanted it, the report claims.
A source told the publication: “Lauren is not used to not getting her way, but when it comes to age and star power, Louis is of course completely superior to her.
“It was hard for her to make any solid case for why he should make way for her to enjoy the bigger bed alone for him, but she put up a good fight.
“It was the first sign of tension in the house just hours after the celebs entered – and suggests none of them will be shy about sharing opinions or holding their own.”
