Rochelle Big Brother: why the winner was booed at the final

Rochelle Rackham won Big Brother 2026 on Thursday 5 November, but the Rochelle Big Brother win was met with boos. As the 57-year-old from Essex left the house with £100,000, the studio crowd chanted that Twinks Burnett should have won and called for a recount, LADbible reported.

Here’s who Rochelle is, why the crowd turned on her, what she said after winning, and the moments from the series that divided viewers before tonight’s reunion.

Why was Rochelle booed at the Big Brother final?

Rochelle was booed because much of the crowd at the live final wanted Twinks to win. When Rochelle was announced as the winner, she left the house to boos, with chants of “Twinks should have won” and calls for a recount, and at points she could not hear hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best, LADbible reported. Will had to plead with the crowd because they could not hear her, Brit Brief reported.

The result was a surprise. Twinks went into the final as the bookmakers’ favourite, at 5/6 with BetFred against Rochelle’s 11/10, Capital reported. Online, some fans claimed the result was rigged, while others called the crowd’s behaviour rude and embarrassing, Brit Brief reported. The winner was decided by the public vote, which ran on ITV’s website throughout the final.

Rochelle’s time in the house had also divided viewers for weeks, as the moments below show.

Who is Rochelle from Big Brother, and how old is she?

Rochelle Rackham is 57, a housewife and mum of three from Essex. She went into the Big Brother house on launch night, 13 September, and admitted before the series that she is quite bossy at home, Capital reported.

She has been married for 33 years, and her husband turns 60 next year. Going in, she said she applied “as a joke” and expected to be “kicked out really quickly”. Asked what she would do with the prize money, she said she would buy “more horses, handbags” and do something for her husband’s birthday, Media Mole reported from her launch night Q&A. She also told This Is Big Brother that she rides horses every day.

What did Rochelle say after winning Big Brother?

Rochelle could hardly believe it. “What?! What?! Oh my God. Oh my God,” she said when she was told she had won, and later added: “All the suffering was worth it,” Brit Brief reported.

“Thank you so much to every single person that voted for me. I can’t tell you what this means.”

Rochelle, in a video shared on Big Brother’s social media

In the same video, she told viewers she hoped she had entertained them, because she had worked hard in the house, Brit Brief reported.

Which Rochelle moments divided Big Brother viewers?

Rochelle was at the centre of several of the series’ biggest rows, some as the target of criticism and some as the housemate being criticised.

1. Late September

   An episode on 27 September drew 493 complaints to Ofcom, many raising concerns about alleged racism and bullying towards Rochelle from other housemates, including remarks by Johanne Cade, PinkNews reported.

2. 30 September

   A heated clash between Johanne and Rochelle in a nominations task led to 1,191 Ofcom complaints, the most of any episode that week. Big Brother gave Johanne a formal warning, and some viewers were frustrated that Rochelle did not get one too, PinkNews reported.

3. Early October

   After Twinks arrived and talked about being an LGBTQ+ ally, Rochelle said: “I wouldn’t be happy with a transgender in the toilet with me,” PinkNews reported.

4. 8 October

   When Twinks said more research had gone into erectile dysfunction than women’s healthcare, Rochelle replied: “Yeah, but if they can’t get it up there’s going to be no babies.” Viewers called the exchange embarrassing, Digital Spy reported.

5. 3 November

   The Sun reported, citing an unnamed source, that Rochelle used an offensive term about Chinese people in a conversation that was not shown on TV. In response, ITV said all housemates receive “Respect and Inclusion training” and are monitored 24 hours a day, Capital reported.

When is the Big Brother reunion?

Big Brother: The Reunion is on tonight, Friday 6 November, at 9 pm on ITV2 and ITVX. The full cast is back together to settle old scores and look back on their time in the house, Where To Watch reported.

For every eviction this series, the final placings and how the result compared with the odds, see our Big Brother eviction tracker.

The result and the crowd’s reaction are from LADbible’s and Brit Brief’s reports of the ITV2 final, and the reunion from Where To Watch. Rochelle’s quotes after the final are from Brit Brief, and her launch night answers from Media Mole and This Is Big Brother. The odds are from Capital, and her background from Capital’s profile. The complaints are from Ofcom’s weekly figures as reported by PinkNews, the women’s rights comments from Digital Spy, and the unaired remark from The Sun’s report as covered by Capital, with ITV’s response.