Louis Walsh has revealed that he may have suffered a minor heart attack while appearing on Celebrity Big Brother, saying he now regrets taking part in the show.
The 74-year-old Irish music manager and former X Factor judge said he experienced severe anxiety while in the house and needed medical attention during his time on the ITV reality show.
Speaking on The 2 Johnnies podcast, Walsh said: “I thought it was going to be fun. It wasn’t fun. I had anxiety problems and I had to get the medics.”
He continued: “My doctor thinks I had a minor heart attack. I couldn’t sleep at night times and we were all locked in and it was dark and I’d try and get out.”
Walsh said he was allowed to leave the house on several occasions to have a cup of tea and praised the medical team for looking after him. However, he described his decision to take part in the programme as “a big mistake”.
“I did it for the money but I shouldn’t have,” he said.
Walsh also spoke about his friend Sharon Osbourne, who appeared alongside him on the series. The pair had both previously been judges on The X Factor, and Walsh joked that they had agreed to appear on Celebrity Big Brother for the money.
Walsh also discussed the impact of the show on his mental health.
During his time in the Celebrity Big Brother house, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer during lockdown. He told his fellow housemates that the cancer had cleared, but acknowledged that the experience had taken a toll on him.
The former Westlife manager became one of the more outspoken housemates during the series, making headlines for his comments about a number of celebrities, including Simon Cowell, Cheryl Tweedy, Ronan Keating and Jedward.
He also revealed that he does not expect to return as a judge if Simon Cowell brings back The X Factor, saying he is “probably too old”.
“The money is good, they pay well but I don’t think he will ask me,” Walsh said.
He suggested that Sharon Osbourne and Nicole Scherzinger could be potential judges, adding that he had felt nervous around Cowell and Osbourne when he was on The X Factor.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Walsh criticised The Voice for dropping Sir Tom Jones as a judge, describing him as “a hero” and “an icon”.
Walsh also admitted that he once made up a story about Boyzone being involved in a plane crash in Australia in order to generate publicity for the band.
His comments come after the release of the Boyzone documentary One for the Road, in which Walsh was portrayed in a less flattering light.
When the podcast hosts pointed out that he had come across as the “bad guy”, Walsh responded: “F*** it, I don’t want to be the good guy.”
