Chantelle the millionaire? - Oct 25 2007
Celebrity Big Brother winner Chantelle Houghton has apparently earned close to £1 million since her appearance on the reality show.

The Essex blonde - who has recently split from her BB housemate Samuel Preston - will be the richest non-famous housemate since Jade Goody, reports The Sun.

Figures reportedly show the 24-year-old has earned more than £925,000 in a year - with TV appearances, a magazine column and an autobiography deal.

Prior to her appearance on the Channel 4 show, Chantelle did a bit of modelling and was working as a Paris Hilton lookalike.

She scooped £25,000 after winning the show and went on to sell the rights to her wedding with Preston to OK! magazine.

Now figures lodged with Companies House apparently show she has earned £925,615 in a year.

A financial expert told the paper: "She’s done incredibly well to maximise earnings. I don’t think any business analyst would have said she could make so much so quickly with so little business experience."



Chantelle and Preston split - June 27 2007
Celebrity Big Brother lovebirds Chantelle and Preston have split after 10 months of marriage, it has been announced.

The couple met on the reality show last year and wed following a whirlwind romance.

"After much soul-searching and tearful discussions we have sadly decided to end our marriage," Chantelle, 23, and Preston, 25, said in a joint statement.

"We hope we can always remain friends and still love each other but we both think we put so much pressure on one another to make our marriage work that it has ended up destroying our relationship. No one else is involved in our decision."

The couple insisted their relationship was genuine and denied they had rushed into marriage.

Former promotions girl Chantelle Houghton and Ordinary Boys singer Preston met on the show in January 2006. They announced their engagement in April and tied the knot in August.

The statement said: "We know people will think we married too quickly on the back of Big Brother but the truth is that, what anyone thinks, we did have a whirlwind romance but we were genuinely in love with each other at the time and we will never regret our time together.

"We both believe in marriage and we never treated our vows or our commitment to each other lightly. We’ve spent hours and hours discussing whether we can salvage our marriage, give it another go, try harder, anything rather than give up.

"But we now both agree that we should go our separate ways."


Chantelle and Preston deny problems - May 31 2007
Celebrity Big Brother couple Chantelle and Preston have denied rumours that their marriage is on the rocks and say they have no plans to split up.

Gossip has been circulating that the pair, who met on the 2006 series of the reality show, were having serious difficulties just nine months after getting married.

But Ordinary Boys frontman Preston and part-time model and presenter Chantelle told Star magazine that all was well in their Brighton love nest.

"We’re not having any problems," said the 25-year-old singer. Everything is cool and we’re really happy."

Chantelle, 23, added: "Preston and I are happy. I should get this wedding ring tattooed to my finger as there’s no way I’m taking it off. He’s my husband and we’re staying together."