Why my mother Rachel Johnson will win over Celebrity Big Brother

Oliver Dawnay has just watched his grandfather on I'm A Celeb, now his mother is in the CBB house 
Reality ready: Oliver Dawnay is watching mother Rachel Johnson on CBB
Adrian Lourie
Oliver Dawnay4 January 2018
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

From my experience there are few things worse a parent can say to you than “we need to talk”.

It puts you in a frenzy of panic and forces you to scan back weeks in your mind for anything naughty you might have said or done.

I received an equally scary text from my mum 10 days ago which read, “I have some news, please call” — but not even I could have never imagined what she was about to tell me.

Having just got over watching two-and-a-half weeks of my grandfather in the jungle on I’m a Celeb, I am now gearing up to watch my mother go through the psychological hell of being in the Big Brother house.

Housemate: Rachel Johnson is now in CBB
PA

My brother and I have religiously watched Big Brother and learnt that it’s a programme designed to drive a group of people insane.

I can’t pretend I’m not worried for her — but then again I was worried for my grandad and he absolutely smashed it, so she has half a chance.

Just like grandad I don’t think my mum will struggle with conflict — she’ll struggle mostly with boredom and if any of the other housemates snore.

She can’t deal with my dad’s snoring, let alone a chorus of 18 minor celebrities. And now that I’ve been to the launch and found out Ann Widdecombe is a serial snorer, I feel like she’s going to need to double up on her earplugs.

In the hot seat: Emma Willis chats to Rachel Johnson
Channel 5

She did well at the launch last night. I thought she looked great and made a good first account of herself — although she could have won herself immunity in the task with Khloe Kardashian’s friend Malika.

I think she might struggle with the lack of activity in the house as she is never usually more than two metres away from a book, a newspaper or a tennis racket.

With a lifestyle that is very much centred around playing tennis and writing articles, being in the Big Brother house will be a shock to the system.

But I know that she’ll be popular in the house. She’s a lot of fun and will throw herself into every task. She’s also a mean cook, and I’m sure that will win over some of the housemates — especially when the men come in, although they’ll have to lay the table and help out around the kitchen or they’ll be in trouble.

She also has a tendency to either choose not to answer a question because it’s too stupid, or answer it in her head without realising she hasn’t answered it out loud.

Celebrity Big Brother 2018 contestants - in pictures

1/16

That will aggravate some of the housemates just as it has aggravated my family throughout my life.

It’ll be very hard to top how well grandad did in the jungle. He was a revelation and won over a huge fanbase during his time there.

Mum may have been dreading going on the show before but I actually think she will love the experience.

Previous journalists Liz Jones and Katie Hopkins went in with the same attitude towards it but Katie said it was the “best experience of her life” and, even more shockingly, Liz said it was “her first holiday in 50 years”. Maybe being shoved into a house with a group of randomers is more enjoyable then we might think?

I’m now with my dad having breakfast and getting ready to proceed with our lives. As we speak, mum is waking up in the Big Brother house. Life couldn’t be more bizarre.

But I know that whatever happens she’ll do me proud.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in