‘I was the villain. They turned on me’: JOJO SIWA reveals truth about relationship with Chris Hughes, the horrific abuse she gets from the gay community… and what happened with Mickey Rourke AFTER their Big Brother clash

Just days before JoJo Siwa entered the Celebrity Big Brother house last April, she had an inkling that the show would change her life. An American dancer and singer and arguably the most successful child star of recent years, with an estimated net worth of around £15 million, she stunned her management at the idea that she could enter the British Big Brother house.

“They said, ‘We don’t think you should do this, and we’re your team, so you should listen to us,'” JoJo recalls. ‘So I said, “I’m your customer, you should listen to me. I’m doing this.”‘ It’s worth noting that JoJo was only 21 at the time.

This was not only a bold move by the young man, but it also turned out to be a prescient one. He admits he felt ‘lost’ at the time. ‘I realized I wasn’t the person I wanted to be,’ he says now. ‘But I didn’t know what the answer was.’

He told his mother Jessalynn, who was closely involved in his career: ‘I thought this was going to change my life. I thought maybe I could find myself and experience some enlightenment. ‘I never thought I’d find love.’

In fact, he brought a twist to the show that even Big Brother with his all-seeing eye could never have imagined. JoJo, who came out as a lesbian at the age of 17, was in a relationship with non-binary actor Kath Ebbs at the time. However, at home she struck up a firm friendship with former Love Islander Chris Hughes (or ‘sweet Christopher’ as she calls him), but their friendship blossomed into romance in the outside world.

They started dating last May, spent Christmas with both of their families, and even brought up the subject of marriage and children. ‘I had never imagined myself with a man and never thought I could fall in love with a man,’ she says, ‘so I was almost in awe that I could do it.’

Chatting from her dance studio in Burbank, California, ahead of her appearance on this year’s edition of Channel 4’s The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer, JoJo is as warm and open as she was on Big Brother, where she ultimately came third.

Born in the Midwestern city of Omaha, Nebraska, JoJo came into the spotlight at the age of ten when she appeared on US reality show Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition. The series followed young performers languishing under the terrifying supervision of dance instructor Abby Lee Miller, who accused the young performers of being “obnoxious” and “rude.”

JoJo is with former Love Island star Chris Hughes, whom she started dating after appearing on Celebrity Big Brother last year

JoJo’s resilience and personality made her stand out on the series, and her career took off. When she turned 13, she released the song Boomerang, whose video has been viewed more than a billion times online, and also launched a line of her signature hair bows on the show in partnership with accessories store Claire’s.

She appeared on the reality show Dance Moms with her mother from 2015 to 2016, then signed a deal with Nickelodeon TV that launched her into the tween stratosphere, producing movies, TV shows and music. At the age of 16, he toured the world and became the youngest person to sell out the O2 Arena in London.

By then she had millions of YouTube subscribers (her channel now has more than 12 million) and had become the face of a billion-dollar business that launched everything from toys to clothes to hair bows; By 2019, more than 80 million of these had been sold to children worldwide. So it’s no wonder that her heady early years left her feeling somewhat ‘lost’ when she entered the Big Brother house in 2025.

Things didn’t get much better when he met fellow contestant Mickey Rourke. On his second day in the house, the actor openly asked JoJo if she was a lesbian, saying: ‘If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore.’ ‘I need a fag,’ he said in the smoking area, then pointed at JoJo and added, ‘I’m not talking to you.’ He was kicked out four days later after being warned for using homophobic language.

JoJo now says of their encounter: ‘Honestly, Mickey Rourke isn’t a homophobe… in fact, he’s not even an asshole.’ ‘He just doesn’t know. ‘He’s not educated, he’s not happy, he’s very lonely and he had a very difficult childhood and now it’s catching up with him.’

Mickey, 73, has previously spoken out about how his stepfather physically abused him during his childhood. ‘This was the side of him that I was able to see later. Part of me was hurt, but another part of me also felt: “He’s just a sad old man.” That’s why I took the time to get to know him.’

Fellow contestant Chris Hughes comforted JoJo after her bruising encounter, and that’s when things got really interesting at home. Was this the moment when love blossomed for him? ‘Absolutely not!’ she screams. ‘It was more like, ‘This is a good guy.’ He was a gentleman right away.’

After moving out of the house on April 25, JoJo and Chris continued to maintain that their friendship was platonic. So when was the moment he realized he was in love with her?

‘It was sometime in early May,’ he says. Chris, a die-hard Sunderland FC supporter, had called him after his team won. ‘I left dance rehearsal in Los Angeles so I could talk to her about her play. “That’s when I realized, ‘I think I’ve fallen in love with this guy!'” she laughs. ‘Because otherwise why would I care?’ Their first official date was May 27 at Mastro’s, an oceanfront steakhouse in Malibu, ‘and now we celebrate our anniversary on the 27th of every month.’

It’s hard not to be fascinated to hear the 33-year-old talk so enthusiastically about Chris; When her name is mentioned, her eyes turn into love-heart emojis. However, the course of their love did not go smoothly. During the Big Brother wrap party, JoJo and her partner Kath were discussing the status of their relationship, and JoJo admitted she wasn’t happy.

Kath later posted on TikTok about their breakup, and when asked if she had reconciled with her ex, JoJo admitted that she had not. ‘But they seem to be in a thriving relationship,’ says Kath’s JoJo (who uses they/them pronouns), ‘which makes me very happy. And I’m thriving in my life and I’m very happy. I think they’re progressing wonderfully, and I know I’m doing so.’

Unfortunately, when news of Chris and JoJo’s relationship emerged it attracted an ‘extreme amount of hate’ from the gay community. “I was shocked,” JoJo admits. ‘I thought it would be a cool thing because I thought gay people would say, ‘Hey, that’s cool.’ As a community, we preach “love is love” and we think that actually means some people who aren’t supportive of the LGBTQIA community are saying, “He loved women, he loved men — I guess that’s okay with me.” I thought it might help him say. I was excited about it, but then it was my own community that turned on me.

JoJo, who was 12 years old here in 2016, became a child star when she appeared on the reality show Dance Moms from 2015 to 2016.

JoJo and Chris have formed a strong friendship in the Celebrity Big Brother house. He was dating non-binary actor Kath Ebbs at the time

JoJo is part of this year’s cast of Channel 4’s The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer

‘I didn’t come out to try to be an LGBTQIA superhero; I came out because I’m happy and because it’s who I love.’ But everything changed when she started dating Chris. ‘It was like, ‘You’re the bad guy.'” Did he get death threats? ‘Oh my God, for everything I do every day!’ he says. ‘For the clothes I wear, for everything. This is unfortunately very normal. It’s been ten years.”

But while fans were shocked to see her fall in love with Chris, with some believing ‘our relationship was fake’, no one was more shocked than JoJo herself. ‘I never thought I would fall in love with a man,’ she says. ‘I have wonderful boys who are my friends and I have never questioned my feelings for them. But I loved Chris and his energy and it felt so right. I could be around him and never get bored, never get tired. He’s the only person I want to talk to when I’m tired.’

In fact, he is so happy that he is already thinking of getting married. ‘Every day,’ he laughs. ‘I am a girl in love; Of course I’m thinking about it! People say, “Oh, you’re so young.” But I’ve lived a very different life than other people, and in terms of stages of life, I’m about ten years older than I actually am. And if she waits long, I will definitely propose to her.’

They also talked about children. ‘I told him the names I liked and he liked them too.’ As for where they will live, “I would want our children to know both of our families,” she says. ‘It’s a lot for both families to move, so I think we’ll be flying back and forth.’

Chris, who lives in Britain, has just completed presenting for the BBC at the Winter Olympics and with JoJo in Los Angeles, the couple only get to see each other every three or four weeks. ‘We talk every day, but distance sucks,’ he says. When they got together they said, ‘Chris is a better chef. I eat breakfast and can cook chicken, steak and vegetables. But I’m such a plain cook, I don’t like it.’

Which brings us to Celebrity Bake Off, where he faces off against reality star Molly-Mae Hague and comedians Babatunde Aléshé and Richard Herring (other episodes feature Rag’n’Bone Man, DJ Edith Bowman and actor Ralf Little).

JoJo admits she hasn’t watched the show, but says: ‘I guess you’d have to live under a rock not to know that.’ Without giving away too much, it acquits itself nicely after a shaky start with a fancy tray oven presenting its own challenge. ‘I don’t care what anyone says; ‘Every six-year-old would love it,’ he laughs.

It’s also rebooting JoJo Bows, which has reportedly generated a staggering £336 million in revenue to date. While she wasn’t really involved in the process before, she’s now the creative director and has added more adult-oriented styles called Joelle Bows (based on her birth name, Joelle Joanie).

He hints that he and Chris may be working together soon. And even as they approach their one-year anniversary, the naysayers are still around. When asked about the relationship, Chris’ former reality star Olivia Attwood said, ‘He’s really famous,’ seemingly implying that Chris was only with JoJo for her fame.

JoJo says: ‘I’ve been in relationships because the person wasn’t real, so I know what that feels like. Sometimes you get tricked and it happens to everyone. But Chris? God no. ‘When you’re with the person you’re meant to be with, you’ll never have these doubts.’

The Big Celebrity Fight Against Cancer starts on Sunday, March 22 at 19.40 on Channel 4. To learn more about the Fight Against Cancer and how you can donate, visit channel4.com/SU2C. JoJo’s Springs are available at JoJoSiwastore.com.