Big Brother star Paul Blackburn has admitted he was ‘disappointed’ by the way he was portrayed in the show’s final edit, after bosses opted to remove a key scene.
The boxer, 23, took part in ITV’s revived version of the iconic reality show earlier this year, but faced a tepid exit from the crowd when he was evicted after 28 days.
Speaking to The Mirror, Paul has revealed that he found being booed during his exit ‘very hard’ to handle, after housemate Trish Balusa accused him of being a ‘bully.’
He went onto state that he and Trish had resolved their differences before his eviction, but that scene wasn’t televised.
Paul also shared that while in the house he candidly spoke about his struggles with mental health, and even broke down in tears on one occasion, but the moment was never aired.
He said: ‘It’s disappointing when I was in the production process for Big Brother, I asked whether it would be full of influencers, with the likes of Love Island, we know why people go on Love Island.
‘They approached me last year and told me I was a bit too mad so I didn’t end up going on it, I took that on board.’
Paul added that he was told by bosses that they wanted ‘good conversations and not drama,’ and when he entered the house he was being a typical ‘Jack the lad.’
He added: ‘To come out and see that people were slating me, it was hard to take in, they made drama out of myself and didn’t show the other conversations that we had before and after.’
Paul added that in the house he spoke candidly about losing his friends to suicide and how he’d attempted to commit suicide in the past, but learned that none of it made it to the final edit, describing it as ‘a bitter pill to swallow.’
However, he went onto praise show bosses for the aftercare he’s received since leaving the house, adding he’s been given access to psychologist for 14 months after the show.
He also revealed that series winner Jordan Sangha apologised for nominating him during his first few weeks in the house, as he ‘didnt understand him.’
Paul was the fifth housemate to be evicted from Big Brother 2023, just hours after his ‘bully’ row with Trish saw the show’s live feed yanked off air.
Immediately after his elimination, Paul reflected on his argument with Trish Balusa – who had accused him of being a ‘bully’ in the lead-up to his eviction and explained that he and Trish were ‘very similar’ in personality.
Speaking to hosts AJ and Will, he said: ‘I won’t lie, it was overwhelming. I did kind of expect it. I know I’m quite a loud person. When people say you forget the cameras are there, you really really do.
‘I think me and Trish are very, very similar. I do like to wind people up and I think that’s part of the game. I could see why last night she thought that but in the house we all did wind each other up.’
During his time in the house, Paul had been seen growing close to dancer Olivia, 23, although he insisted that their relationship is strictly platonic as he reminded viewers that he has a girlfriend.
He said: ‘On the outside, I have a lot of girlfriends. Like, friends who are girls. I’ve got a girlfriend – she’s sat right there. Olivia was a very similar character to me so we’re just good friends I think. We’re like-minded people.’