Former Big Brother host was left ‘humiliated’ by brutal axe by Channel 5 bosses (Image: Getty)
TV presenter Brian Dowling was left heartbroken when he found out bosses had secret replacement meetings behind his back. The 46-year-old claimed that he was brutally dropped by the network after picking up a newspaper and reading about it.
Brian shot to fame after winning the popular reality show back in 2001 and has . He has since gone on to host a series of programmes including Real Housewives reunions.
10 years after announced he was the winner, bosses signed him up to take over presenting duties. This came after Davina, 56, decided to step down from her duties.
He appeared to be popular among fans during his stint between 2011 and 2013. Speaking of his sacking, he said that he was “embarrassed” by how the situation unfolded in the public eye.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, he said: “It was more embarrassing than anything else being fired and losing your job in the public domain. Once you get your head around it and own it, it gets easier. I had to make myself realise I did f*** all wrong.”
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Brian Dowling presented Big Brother from 2011 to 2013 (Image: Getty)
In the jaw-dropping revelation, he said: “The worst thing was hearing through a newspaper I had lost the gig.
“Apart from my ego being dented, I felt a bit humiliated. I mean, I had won the show in 2001, then won the ultimate Celeb BB in 2010 and hosted it in 2011.”
Before adding: “Unless you are Davina McCall, there’s only so much you can do on that show.”
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He was replaced by s who also took over hosting the spin-off show Big Brother’s Bit on the Side until February 2015.
Back in 2020, Davina McCall co-hosted the 20th anniversary special of the reality alongside , titled Big Brother’s Best Shows Ever Show.
The show aired on and featured some of the most memorable and iconic moments from the regular and celebrity versions of the programmes.
Brian Dowling as sat next to Girls Aloud pal Kimberly Walsh (Image: Getty)
Brian , with Davina claiming that he’d been offered a chance to appear on a lookback episode.
At the time, he said in a nail-biting post: “I found out from The Sun newspaper that I was being fired and replaced, and it took the production company a further four weeks to confirm that, without a single apology, phone call, text, email or even a bunch of flowers or a single question asking how I was.
“My whole time on the show was tainted by how I was treated and it still affects me today. The same production company asked if I wanted to film a 10 second message on my phone saying hello to you and Rylan. Surprisingly I didn’t really feel like doing that,” he added.