Celebrity Big Brother housemates skip live final

Celebrity Big Brother stars Sharon Osbourne and Gary Goldsmith have missed the show’s live final.

During the opening moments of tonight’s (March 22) grand finale, hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best announced that the show’s previously evicted housemates had joined them in the studio for the final before cutting to the housemates in the studio.

Zeze Millz, Marisha Wallace, Levi Roots, Lauren Simon and recently evicted housemate Bradley Riches could be seen in the studio. However, eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice the absence of Sharon and Gary from the show.

Viewers were quick to share their reactions on X (formerly Twitter), with one person writing: “No Sharon to reunite with Louis after he wins? How disappointing.”

Related: Celebrity Big Brother‘s Marisha shares Ekin-Su update since show exit

“I had a feeling Sharon wouldn’t be here but i’m still gutted,” a second person wrote, while a third joked: “Just realised Sharon didn’t even come back for the final. She really just got her coin and dipped.”

A spokesperson for Big Brother has confirmed to Digital Spy that Gary decided not to attend the final following the news that his niece Princess Kate Middleton was undergoing cancer treatment.

“Following today’s sad news, Gary has made the decision not to attend tonight’s Celebrity Big Brother final,” the spokesperson said.

“We fully support his decision and wish him and his family well at this difficult time. We’d like to extend our thanks to Gary for joining us this series.”

It is also understood that Sharon was not expected to attend the final and has returned to her home in Los Angeles. Despite her absence, the former X Factor judge recorded a video message for her fellow housemates, which was shown during Late & Live.

Related: Celebrity Big Brother‘s Fern Britton reacts to being booed

“I just wanted to say congratulations to you all. You did an amazing job,” she said. “I really enjoyed everyone’s company – I had a blast in the house. And to let you know, I’ve missed our dinners.”

“Since I’ve got home, I’ve not had one cooked meal, so if somebody could fly over and cook for us, that would be great,” she continued, before concluding: “Congratulations to you all, love you.”

Sharon and Gary’s absence on Friday comes after the confirmation that Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu had withdrawn from attending the final after her management deemed her “unfit” to return.

The reality star’s management confirmed that the decision was made following Ekin-Su’s Late & Live exit interview, which had proved to be controversial among viewers.

If you would like more information or support about living with cancer or treatment, please click here for guidance from Macmillan Cancer Support, or click here to learn more from Stand Up to Cancer.

Reporter, Digital Spy
Brenna Cooper is a freelance journalist, who currently specialises in entertainment reporting. She joined Digital Spy in 2022, writing TV and movies stories for the site. After graduating with an NCTJ accredited Journalism Masters from the University of Sheffield in 2020 she has since embarked on a freelance career. 

Brenna previously produced lifestyle content for Checklists.co.uk and has a specific interest in music, reviewing live acts and interviewing bands such as Confidence Man and Amyl and the Sniffers.

Sara Baalla is a freelance news reporter for Digital Spy.