AJ Odudu excited for Big Brother launch this weekend

AJ, who will host the show alongside Will Best, said the show presents us with a diverse group of people with different backgrounds, something AJ says she didn’t see while growing up in her hometown.

AJ said she was excited when landed the hosting job.

She said: “I was on another job too and couldn’t say anything. I was so buzzing and excited. I didn’t tell anyone until my name was on the dotted line – it didn’t feel real.

“Me and Will have had celebratory drinks and dinner together since we found out.

“I feel like nothing can truly prepare you for what’s in store when it comes to Big Brother.

“That being said, I have been rewatching some past seasons and planning my outfits.”

The former St Bede’s High School pupil said she cannot wait to meet the housemates but admits she is nervous.

AJ Odudu (Image: PA)

She said: “I’m most looking forward to meeting all the wonderful housemates and learning about their stories. Also, I can’t wait to say the words ‘Hello Big Brother house, this is AJ!’

“I think it would be weird if I wasn’t nervous, of course I am! But that’s all part of the magic so I am welcoming my pre-show butterflies.”

With the current buzz around the new series AJ said the show’s popularity is rooted in the diverse housemates.

She said: “Big Brother lets us dive into the psyche of the human mind and connects the audience to people from all walks of life that you might not ever normally meet. I remember watching Brian Dowling and he was the first openly gay man I’d ever seen – what a joy!

“And Nadia Almada who was the first trans person on the show, which was so insightful as growing up in Blackburn I didn’t see that diversity in my day-to-day life. It really is the people and their stories.”

AJ Odudu and Will Best, Big Brother hosts (Image: PA)

AJ said she is excited to see how the housemates navigate cohabitation, which is something she knows all too well after 10 people lived under one roof at her family home in Blackburn.

“I think the biggest challenge for housemates is that the Big Brother house is 24/7,” she said.

“You share the same bedroom, the same spaces, the same food, everything! I grew up with five brothers and two sisters and all 10 of us (including my parents) lived in a small space under the same roof. I love my family to bits, but I’ve done my time – I’m riding solo now.”

After a five-year hiatus, the iconic reality television show returns. A new cast of housemates will take up residence in the newly-refurbished Big Brother house, where you can expect all the nail-biting moments, tricksy tasks and live evictions of old.

Dubbed by ITV as the “television event of the year and the return of the ultimate social experiment,”.

Big Brother: The Launch airs on ITV1, ITV2 and ITVX on Sunday October 8 at 9pm.