Preston says he ‘hated being famous’ and ‘trauma-bonded’ with ex Chantelle Houghton over their ‘nightmare’ life after CBB as he reflects on near-death experience and OxyContin addiction

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Samuel Preston, the lead singer of The Ordinary Boys, has spoken openly about how much he disliked fame and his struggles with addiction.

Preston, the 44-year-old musician, became widely known outside of music when he appeared on the reality show Celebrity Big Brother in 2006. It was on the show that he met his future wife, Chantelle Houghton, and the couple quickly became popular with celebrity magazines.

After moving out in April 2006, the couple got engaged four months later and married another four months after that. However, the marriage didn’t last, and Preston later explained it was built on an unhealthy connection formed because he disliked being in the public eye.

After becoming well-known from Big Brother, he admitted he really disliked the fame. He said it quickly turned into a bad experience, and he and Chantelle bonded over the intense and difficult time they shared, eventually falling in love.

In an interview with The Guardian, the actor discussed his addiction to the painkiller OxyContin, which began after a serious fall from a balcony while on vacation in Denmark in 2017. Doctors weren’t sure if he’d ever be able to walk again after the accident.

Preston started his music career in 2002 with the band The Ordinary Boys. They were most famous for their 2005 song “Boys Will Be Boys” before he appeared on the reality show Celebrity Big Brother.

Chantelle, who ultimately won the show, entered the house as a regular person, not a celebrity. She was tasked with pretending to be a member of a girl band, competing against well-known figures like Pete Burns, Michael Barrymore, George Galloway, and Jodie Marsh.

The couple became incredibly popular with the tabloids, and even earned £300,000 each for the rights to their wedding photos. Despite this, Preston said he disliked the attention and fame that came with it.

He described the magazines popular at the time, like Nuts and Zoo Weekly, as being incredibly negative. He specifically recalled how people were often discussed – for example, casually commenting on someone’s weight, like saying ‘Preston looks fat today’ – and felt it was simply terrible.

One of my favorite career highlights was definitely being a guest panelist on Never Mind the Buzzcocks back in 2007. It was a really fun experience and a great moment for me!

As a lifestyle expert, I remember being shocked when this happened! A guest actually walked off set mid-episode after Simon Amstell started reading excerpts from Chantelle’s autobiography, ‘Living the Dream,’ and it felt like a really pivotal TV moment. It was a bold move, and honestly, it sparked a lot of conversation about boundaries and respect on set.

Looking back on what happened, Preston explained it was a moment he was proud of, but also acknowledged it was unfair and showed prejudice. He felt he had no other option at the time.

Preston stepped away from performing in a band to focus on writing songs, and then tragically suffered an accident.

In September 2017, Preston was hospitalized after a fall from a second-story balcony. He had been drinking and later admitted he was careless and had overdone it. The fall resulted in a broken leg (in four places), a shattered pelvis, and a punctured lung.

Liam tragically died late last year after a fall, following a period of drug use. Authorities have now confirmed his cause of death as polytrauma, meaning he suffered multiple severe injuries.

He went on to seek drugs in his recovery, leading to his addiction.

He admitted he foolishly asked four different doctors to prescribe him the maximum allowable amount of medication.

Preston described the past year as filled with ‘dread and horror,’ and explained that he stopped abruptly, experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. He said he spent a weekend vomiting, shaking, and even having fits, calling it a terrible experience.

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2026-04-16 12:06