Footballer Jamie O’Hara signs up to Celebrity Big Brother 2017
The injured footy ace – and ex of Danielle Lloyd – is set to enter the house on January 3
CELEBRITY Big Brother bosses are going to have to erect a set of goals in the garden this year.
I can reveal that former Premier League star JAMIE O’HARA is to become the first active professional footballer to appear on the reality show.
The 30-year-old midfielder will follow in the footsteps of his ex wife DANIELLE LLOYD and enter the famous house next week when the Channel 5 series begins.
He is currently without a club after Gillingham FC terminated his contract in September this year after he failed to recover from an injury.
The dad of three needs the CBB payday after being fleeced by glamour model Danielle during their divorce — giving her £15,000 a month as part of their agreement.
A source said: “Jamie is the big surprise signing for this year’s series. It’s not been an easy decision for him to make but with all his injuries he needs to be earning some money.
“As it’s a new stars versus old stars series, there have been attempts to sign Danielle as well.
“Obviously there is no love lost before the pair so it could be explosive if both appear.”
The only other footballers ever to appear on CBB were already retired, with both RAZOR RUDDOCK and VINNIE JONES entering the house in previous series.
This year’s series is an All Stars vs New Stars special and other contestants likely to be shacking up with Jamie when the show begins on January 3 are Shameless actor JODY LATHAM, NICOLA MCLEAN and BIANCA GASCOIGNE.
Jamie’s ex Danielle previously appeared on the fifth series of CBB while it was still on Channel 4 and became embroiled in a high-profile race row after the public claimed her comments — along with JADE GOODY and S CLUB 7 star JO O’MEARA — towards SHILPA SHETTY were racist.
The couple were married in 2012 and have three sons, Archie, Harry and George.
They divorced in 2014 after Jamie was alleged to have had an affair with a woman he met in a Birmingham nightclub.
Earlier that year Danielle was pictured snogging her Splash co-star DAN OSBORNE in a Plymouth nightclub.
Danielle once claimed Jamie would never ever appear on CBB, saying in 2013: “No, 100 per cent no. There’s no way he’d take part in a thing like that.”
She needs to fire her fortune teller.