Jamie O’Hara was paid £300k to go on Celebrity Big Brother but it cost him move to Championship club

2 months ago

Football has made many ties with reality TV and that has grown recently with Jamie O’Hara’s stint on Celebrity Big Brother.

Former Manchester United player Lee Sharpe joined Celebrity Love Island 1 in 2005, while lower league players have put their football careers on hold for a shot at finding romance in the Love Island Villa in the last few years.

O’Hara decided to turn down a move to Burton late on in his careerCredit: Getty

O’Hara, who began at Tottenham and played for Portsmouth, Wolves and Blackpool, was offered a short-term contract with then-Championship Burton Albion in 2017 and after impressing during a trial under then boss Nigel Clough.

However, talkSPORT’s Sports Bar host turned down an offer after leaving Gillingham in place of a stint on Celebrity Big Brother.

In December, O’ Hara and Clough were reunited on talkSPORT for the first time since the proposed transfer and both recalled the events leading to the former midfielder’s snub.

“He said he was happy and he wanted to get back playing and I thought if we offer him a few hundred quid a week then Big Brother happened,” Clough recalled.

O’Hara and took the opportunity to offer a heartfelt apology to the former Nottingham Forest and Liverpool star.

“Nige, I’m sorry, mate,” he said before offering his version of events.

“I went up there [to Burton] and Nige was brilliant with me to be fair because I hadn’t been playing. I was out and I was a little bit worried about my fitness.

“He asked me to come up there and I trained really well for a few days. He was like ‘look, I really want you, I need a midfielder’ but I’d already signed a contract to go in Big Brother!

O'Hara was paid £300,000 to be on Big Brother — O’Hara was paid £300,000 to be on Big BrotherCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Clough didn't pick up the phone to O'Hara after he came out of Big Brother — Clough didn’t pick up the phone to O’Hara after he came out of Big BrotherCredit: Getty

“I said to my agent ‘Nigel wants me to sign a contract. How much are they offering?’ He said, ‘a couple of grand a week’.

“It was £300,000 to go on Big Brother. I said ‘sorry, Nige, I’m off’.

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“I do apologise, though, Nige, I do regret that one.”

O’ Hara was then asked how long he spent in the Big Brother house and why he couldn’t have signed for the club after the show.

He replied: “Three weeks and big Nige didn’t talk to me when I got out!”

O’Hara later joined Billericay Town where he played then managed the club. That came to and end in 2020 and he has been part of the talkSPORT family since.

Catch the Sports Bar every weeknight from 10pm on talkSPORT

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