Louis Walsh reveals his doctor thinks he had a 'minor heart attack' during Celebrity Big Brother appearance

From the Newshound archive · first published 29 September 2026 · last updated 30 September 2026.

Louis Walsh, 74, has revealed that his doctor thinks he had a minor heart attack while he was filming Celebrity Big Brother in 2024, telling The 2 Johnnies podcast the experience was a 'big mistake' driven purely by money. The Irish pop manager said he suffered severe anxiety, was unable to sleep, and made repeated attempts to leave the locked house before medics were called.

Walsh, who was reportedly paid close to £850,000 for the appearance, admitted: 'I did it for the money but I shouldn't have.'

He and fellow housemate Sharon Osbourne were both struggling, with Walsh joking: 'We did it for the money, we're like hookers — television hookers.'

Walsh also ruled himself out of the rumoured X Factor reboot, saying he is 'probably too old' and doubts Simon Cowell will ask him back.