Big Brother UK 2026 winner Rochelle crowned amid live crowd fury
The live broadcast turned chaotic when studio chants and hostile jeers forced the presenters to repeatedly step in.
Rochelle Rackham won Big Brother UK series 23 on Thursday, November 5, taking home the £100,000 cash prize after a tense public vote that triggered loud boos and chants of “recount” from the live studio audience.
The 57-year-old defeated runner-up Lucinda “Twinks” Burnett in the final vote, according to the ITV broadcast and reports from The Independent and LADbible. With her victory, Rackham became the oldest female housemate to win Big Brother UK.
Hostile scenes at the live final
As Rackham exited the compound, her victory celebration was overshadowed by a stormy reception. Live audience members booed loudly and broke out into chants of “Twinks should have won” and “Recount! Recount!” during her exit interview.
The reaction grew so intense that co-hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best had to repeatedly step in to settle the crowd and keep the broadcast on track. Meanwhile, cameras caught evicted housemates watching from the studio with visibly cold and unimpressed expressions.
The final placements on Thursday saw Catrin Richards finish in sixth place, Lynx Noumey in fifth, Samuel Keen in fourth, and Yasmin in third, leaving Burnett and Rackham as the final two standing.
What she said after the vote
Rackham brushed off the negativity inside the studio. During her post-win interview, she reacted to the outcome by saying, “All the suffering was worth it,” and adding, “Well, I’ve won.”
Later, in a message shared on the show’s official social media channels, Rackham thanked everyone who voted for her, saying she could not express what the win meant to her and hoped she had entertained viewers after working so hard in the house.
She added, “And also, it looks like I’ve got the last word because I’m winner, winner chicken dinner, yay.”
Divided fans and the upcoming reunion
Rackham’s time in the compound was defined by high tension. She accumulated 29 nominations from her fellow contestants across 54 days and found herself at the center of multiple heated house clashes.
Viewer reaction online was split. While some social media users described the live finale as awkward and labeled it the worst final in the show’s history, others defended the outcome, arguing that Rackham drove the entertainment across the entire series.
ITV has not yet released the exact vote percentages or the numerical breakdown between Rackham and Burnett. Housemates will have one more chance to confront the tensions when Big Brother: The Reunion airs on ITV2 on Friday, November 6.
