Tactics of 'The Celebrity Circle' stars revealed

Brian McIver
·Contributor
·4 min read
Emma Willis hosts, while Denise Van Outen and Duncan James feature among the stars taking part in The Celebrity Circle (C4)
Emma Willis hosts, while Denise Van Outen and Duncan James feature among the stars taking part in The Celebrity Circle (C4)

It’s a television show based around inventing identities, manipulating your image and seeking as much popularity as possible.

The Circle might just be the most perfect reality TV format to ever get a celebrity edition.

Channel 4 is locking a group of star names inside the specially constructed Circle apartment block for a charity version of their smash hit series to raise money for the Stand up to Cancer charity campaign.

Read more: Madeley departs The Circle

Emma Willis hosts while Drag Race UK's Baga Chipz, Blue's Duncan James, Denise van Outen, and Loose Women stars Kaye Adams and Nadia Sawalha are among the famous faces taking on the challenges of working out who each other are, what they want and how to end up on top.

Emma Willis
Emma Willis

The celeb version – which precedes a new series of the civilian edition returning a week later – promises to add a new spice to the show which has captured the imagination of UK audiences in its first two series.

Drag Race UK finalist Baga Chipz's tactic is to go undercover as good pal Kim Woodburn. Best known for How Clean is Your House Woodburn made a controversial appearance on Celebrity Big Brother where she was at one point removed by security.

Baga said: "I've got a leg up because we are very, very good friends, and I've been on the phone to her. She's always phoning me, she’s telling me everything. I know a lot about the real Kim. I know her background, her personal life.

Baga Chipz
Baga Chipz

“I want to go in there and try and be the Kim I know. Obviously, I'm going to be Kim, I'm going to be saying, "Hey, be cleaning up after yourselves," and all that. And, "Oh, you're a lovely..." "What a good-looking fellow you are. If I were 20 years younger," and all that.

“But I'm going to also be like, "Yeah, well, people know me from Big Brother, but they were just actually rat bags, and I want to show the real me."

Read more: Drag Race UK stars reveal why they kept their sexuality a secret at school

Denise van Outen is going in as herself and can’t wait for her turn inside The Circle.

She said: “It's going to be so much fun. I'm looking forward to it. I like the show anyway. I caught Richard Madeley on it the last time I was watching, and I thought it was really fun, so yeah, just can't wait to get started.”

Denise Van Outen
Denise Van Outen

A key element of the game is being able to fool rivals with a fake identity, if you choose, and Denise admits she loved that side to it.

“I like the idea of trying to figure out if people were being genuine by throwing questions at people and trying to suss them out. Also, I feel like you can have a bit of fun with it as well.

Listen: Denise Van Outen and partner Eddie Boxshall take laughter therapy on Before We Say 'I Do'

“I was debating whether I should be myself or whether I should be a man or try and play another character, but I've decided I am going to be myself.

“I think, actually, there will be people in there who probably will think I'm catfishing them. So it's like a double bluff.”

The Circle - celebrity
The Circle - celebrity

The contestant line up also includes Lady Leshurr, Pete Wicks, Sam Thompson, Rickie Haywood-Williams, Melvin Odoom, Saffron Barker, and Charlotte Crosby.

Read more: Channel 4's 'The Circle' confirmed for season 3 return

Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby is pretending to be Peter Andre.

She said: “Because I'm going into it as someone else, I think I am a little bit worried that I might slip up. I'm worried about what if I can't play the game as good as I think I can. I just don't want to be kicked out. Blocked. I don't want to be blocked.”

The Celebrity Circle for Stand Up To Cancer begins Tuesday, 9 March at 9:15pm on Channel 4.

Watch: Baga Chipz's Agony Aunt series 'Reality Check'

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