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It has been less than a week since the eighth series of Big Brother launched but the contestants are already tabloid fodder.

Within two days of entering the Big Brother house, Chanelle Hayes’ former boyfriend had delivered details of their sex life to the Daily Star. Within three days, the 19-year-old’s wretched, complicated childhood was inked onto the pages of The Sun. Her mother was a prostitute who gave birth to her in prison, the newspaper trumpeted, and was murdered when Hayes was a child.

But there was more to come. Hayes attempted suicide at 14 after finding out about her lineage, reported News of the World. Her adopted father was arrested last year after an argument with her, The Sun added.

The other 11 contestants on the Channel 4 show have not delivered pasts quite as dramatic, but all have contributed to tabloid circulations since entering the house on May 30.

Self proclaimed It girl Charley Uchea, 21, was reported to have been sacked from her job as a lap dancer for being too “racy,” while Laura Williams, 23, has been accused of having had an affair with her married boss. Emily Parr, 19, apparently used cocaine and kissed another girl in front of guests at a party.

The sole male contestant Zac “Ziggy” Lichman entered the house only four days ago but today the tabloids caught up with the late arrival. The Sun’s dedicated Big Brother pull-out section reported that the 26-year-old had once lived in a penthouse with a billionaire ‘sugar daddy’.

It may be named Big Brother, but should there be sex, confessions or drunken performances over the next three months, nothing the cameras capture could reveal quite as much as the tabloids already have in a week.

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