The maternal uncle of the Princess of Wales has pulled out of the live Celebrity Big Brother final after Kate’s cancer announcement.
Gary Goldsmith was the first housemate evicted from the ITV reality show, with the businessman and podcast host surviving five days before he was evicted after a public vote.
“Following today’s news, I will not be attending tonight’s Celebrity Big Brother final,” Goldsmith said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Following today’s news, I will not be attending tonight’s Celebrity Big Brother final. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my fellow Housemates and to everyone involved in the making of this brilliant show. I hope you all enjoy your special night.
— Gary Goldsmith (@GaryGoldsmithX) March 22, 2024
“I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my fellow housemates and to everyone involved in the making of this brilliant show.
“I hope you all enjoy your special night.”
It came hours after Kate announced that she was undergoing treatment for cancer in an emotional video message, following her January visit to hospital for abdominal surgery.
The announcement came after weeks of intense speculation and conspiracy theories on social media about the whereabouts and health of the future Queen.
“I hope this draws a line over the continued speculation and horrible conspiracies,” Goldsmith said on X.
“Let’s give Kate, William and the children time and show some love back.”
As many will have seen, I am featured in Saturday's "Times Magazine". This interview and shoot was done over a week ago and went to print before I was aware of the sad news regarding my niece Kate.
My thoughts and prayers are with Kate and the wider family at this difficult…
— Gary Goldsmith (@GaryGoldsmithX) March 22, 2024
Goldsmith also spoke of being “deeply upset” over the timing of his feature in The Times magazine, which is set for publication on Saturday.
“This interview and shoot was done over a week ago and went to print before I was aware of the sad news regarding my niece Kate.
“My thoughts and prayers are with Kate and the wider family at this difficult time and deeply upset at the timing of this article.”
The live final of Celebrity Big Brother saw Fern Britton, Louis Walsh, David Potts, Nikita Kuzmin and Colson Smith face off to become champion.
A statement from ITV said: “Following today’s sad news, Gary has made the decision not to attend tonight’s Celebrity Big Brother final.
“We fully support his decision and wish him and his family well at this difficult time. We’d like to extend our thanks to Gary for joining us this series.”