Transgender boxing promoter Kellie Maloney for Celebrity Big Brother?
Transgender boxing promoter Kellie Maloney has signed up to appear on Celebrity Big Brother, according to newspaper claims.
The former UKIP candidate and manager of Lennox Lewis revealed last Sunday that she is transgender, and has transitioned to female.
Maloney attracted criticism earlier this week when she said: “I’m not homophobic, I have gay friends… I still don’t think that children should be brought up in same-sex marriages.”
Several tabloids are today reporting leaks that Maloney has signed up to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house when the show kicks off tomorrow evening.
The Sunday People claims that she will be “one of the most highly paid contestants ever” on the show.
A source told the paper: “Kellie was top of the list – she was the one that everyone working on the show wanted.
“They all think she will make Celebrity Big Brother a must-watch. Having her signature is being seen as a huge victory for Channel 5 bosses, she is part of what they see as a brilliant line up.”
She had caused controversy previously by coming out against same-sex marriage, and saying she would ban pride marches.
She also told the BBC in 2004 that she would not campaign in the London borough of Camden, because there were “too many gays”.
If the reports are true, Maloney will be the latest in a line of transgender housemates, following Big Brother 5 winner Nadia Almada, and Celebrity Big Brother 2013 contestant Lauren Harries.
Other reports suggest that Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst is set to enter the house, though she has denied the claims.
