Celebrity Big Brother’s highest paid stars are REVEALED – and the celeb taking the top spot is at the centre of the show’s most iconic moment

With the return of Celebrity Big Brother, rumors are once again swirling about how much money the stars will be offered to take part.

X Factor icon Sharon Osbourne, 71, is the show’s first ‘celebrity tenant’ as she will stay in the house for just a week.

But while her time in the house may be short, her fee is certainly not small – as it was reported, she will take home a whopping £100,000 for every day she is there.

Insiders told The Sun that her fee was too high for ITV to stay on full-length, so her final total will be determined when she leaves.

Before Sharon’s final fee is announced, MailOnline looks at the stars who have received the highest payouts for their work at the CBB house over the years.

1. David Gest – £600,000

American film producer David Gest has been revealed as Celebrity Big Brother’s highest-paid celebrity ever – receiving £600,000 for his role in the show.

Gest starred in the 17th series of the show alongside Tiffany Pollard, Jonathan Cheban, Danniella Westbrook, Gemma Collins, Darren Day and Jeremy McConnell, but he left after 13 days for medical reasons.

He was involved in one of the show’s most iconic scenes: when TV personality Tiffany confused David Bowie’s death with that of her housemate Gest.

Angie Bowie, who was married to pop icon David Bowie for ten years, was told off camera about the singer’s death from cancer.

Angie returned to the house, clearly angry about the news, and told EastEnders actor John Partridge about it and asked him to keep it to himself. She also told Gest, who was indeed feeling unwell during his time on the show, and had put himself to bed.

Angie then decided to tell Tiffany, but the American reality star assumed ‘David’s death’ meant she was referring to Gest – who was bedridden at the time.

Sadly, Gest passed away in April of that same year at the age of 62, just months after appearing on the show.

2. Katie Price – £500,000

Katie Price made a shocking late entrance into the Celebrity Big Brother house during the 15th series in 2015.

But despite her late arrival, 45-year-old Price rose to victory and it was reported that Katie earned a whopping £500,000 for her performance.

Price defeated controversial TV personality Katie Hopkins to take victory in that series – with Hopkins later labeling her win as a ‘rip-off’.

“There is no part of Katie Price that deserved to win,” Hopkins told the Daily Star Sunday at the time. “She’s just a nobody with a pair of tits – and those tits aren’t that great either.”

Price clapped back at Hopkins, labeling her “despicable” and claiming the columnist seemed “excited” to meet her when she entered the house.

3. Katie Hopkins – £400,000

Katie Hopkins appeared alongside Price on the show in 2015, which appeared to be a high-paying series.

The media columnist reportedly received £400,000 for her appearance on the show, and she came second to Price.

Hopkins entered the CBB house in 2015 to loud cheers – and later attacked winner Price.

“She had no conversation to offer and I found her to be a very annoying person,” Hopkins told the Sun On Sunday at the time. ‘Honestly, if I had been watching with the British public I would have been eliminated.’

4. Kellie Maloney – £400,000

Kellie Maloney is said to be the highest-paid celebrity in 2014’s Celebrity Big Brother, reportedly raking in £400,000.

The boxing promoter, 71, who is transgender, later revealed that her appearance on the show helped her daughters see her as a woman.

Maloney opened up about her relationship with daughters Sophie and Libby after they left home and revealed it had brought them closer.

“After almost two years of living alone and as a recluse away from my family, I can’t believe what has happened,” she told the Daily Mirror at the time.

‘When I left Big Brother I told the girls I was going to buy a flat on the Kent coast and they said, ‘Why don’t you come back and live closer to home? Then we can have two houses,’” Maloney said.

5. Jonathan Cheban – £300,000

Kim Kardashian’s boyfriend Jonathan Cheban was one of the stars in perhaps the show’s most iconic cast – series 15.

The American reality star, 50, took home £300,000 for his time on the show alongside highest-paid star Gest.

Cheban was set to enter the house again the following year in 2017 but was dropped from the show after demanding £100,000 a day.

The next day he took part in intensive negotiations with the CBB team, which culminated in a heated disagreement.

6. Janice Dickinson – £300,000

Janice Dickinson entered Celebrity Big Brother on the second day in 2015, before being evicted on day 27.

The Brooklyn-born star, 69, was greeted with a sea of ​​cheers as she left the Channel 5 competition after winning £300,000 for her performance.

However, she suffered a wardrobe malfunction when her microphone fell into her underwear.

Luckily, her modesty was saved by an ad break.

7. Stephanie Pratt – £250,000

The Hills reality TV star Stephanie Pratt was another highly paid celebrity to grace the Big Brother house.

Pratt, 37, found romance with George Gilbey during her time in the house, but after being evicted she was left heartbroken when he moved on.

But her time in the house during series 14 was certainly not in vain, as Pratt received a hefty compensation of £250,000.

8. Danniella Westbrook – £250,000

Danniella Westbrook, another star of the iconic 2016 series, received £250,000 for her stint.

The actress, 50, memorably broke up with Gemma Collins twice during her time as a housemate after arguments with Stephanie Davis.

But in 2023, Danniella admitted she used ’11 bags’ of cocaine a day in the run-up to entering the house.

In the podcast, Danniella talked about how ‘no one’ knew the extent of her addiction at the time.

9. Ulrika Jonsson – £175,000

Ulrika Jonsson took part in Celebrity Big Brother in 2009 and went on to win the series, returning the following year for Ultimate Big Brother.

The Swedish-British presenter and model, 56, did not get on well with Austin Powers star Verne Troyer during the show.

Years later, she said of their feud, “The late Austin Powers actor Verne Troyer — who everyone seems to admire immensely — was actually not a particularly nice person.”

10. Christopher Biggins – £150,000

Christopher Biggins was a highly paid housemate, despite actually being removed during his series in August 2016.

The actor, 75, was removed from the Celebrity Big Brother house after allegedly insulting Jewish housemate Katie Waissel with an ‘anti-Semitic’ joke.

The former X Factor star was reportedly ‘reduced to tears as other housemates looked on in shock’ after the comment.

Biggins was later called to the diary room and given a formal warning – and told he would be sent home, although he apologised.