FORMER BBC Northern Ireland journalist Andy West was among the contestants who entered the Big Brother house on Tuesday night.
The 34-year-old reporter, from London, left the broadcaster after he criticised its decision to keep boxer Tyson Fury on the shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2015.
West, who is gay, wrote on his Facebook page that he was "ashamed" to work for the corporation after Fury's nomination was announced.
He was among several contestants who joined Channel 5's popular reality show. The programme features two houses for the first time.
When asked by presenter Emma Willis on Tuesday night what he might find most difficult about being in the house, he replied: "If there are people in there who don't stop, who are just...in your face the whole time".
Earlier, Rylan Clark-Neal said fans of Big Brother can expect numerous "evil" twists in this summer's new series.
The presenter of Big Brother's sister show Big Brother's Bit On The Side teased details about the contestants on Facebook Live.
He said: "Big Brother's getting evil this year, let me tell you that. There will be a lot of tricks up their sleeves."
The 27-year-old also dropped hints about the contestants, promising an "eclectic bunch" of housemates in Big Brother's two houses.
"I know I say it every year, and I sound like a broken record and some years we haven't got it right ... this year is completely right," he said.
"It's going to be amazing. We've got a very eclectic bunch, I think it's quite safe to say."
He added: "This year is probably the most mixed we've had in a long while: different races, genders, sexuality, age, everything."
Fans of the long-running programme had suspected a twist of this nature was coming due to construction of a new Big Brother house extension.
The new set-up will give viewers the opportunity to watch all the action in both houses from the set at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood.
In previous years,Big Brother has utilised secret rooms and annexes primarily for twists such as fake evictions.
However, this series will be filmed with two houses from Tuesday's launch date.
Bosses of the show have promised an "unpredictable" and "ominous" new summer series.
Housemates have been warned to prepare for "paranoia and suspicion" as they discover a dark force at work which "will have a dramatic and divisive effect".
A black and white "yin and yang" theme is accompanying this 17th series.
Last year's show was won by Doncaster office administrator Chloe Wilburn.
