A close friend of Angellica Bell, Andrew Hayden-Smith, has shed light on why the Celebrity Big Brother contestant has not yet discussed her unexpected departure from The Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV. Angellica, a 49 year old presenter with a 25-year career spanning children’s television and daytime shows, was abruptly let go from the popular program in 2023 after six years of co-hosting.

At the time, she was informed that her services were no longer needed, and Jeanette Kwakye, a former Olympian and broadcaster, took her place. Angellica had been a part of the show since 2017 and had also signed on to present the revamped version of The Gadget Show, titled Shop Smart, Save Money, on Channel 5. It was reported that this new commitment presented a conflict of interest, leading to her swift removal from the ITV show.

Recently, Angellica’s husband, Michael Underwood, hinted on TikTok that she might open up about the situation while in the Celebrity Big Brother house. However, fans have yet to see her address the topic.

Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Andrew Hayden-Smith shared that Angellica has no issues discussing the matter, but it simply hasn’t come up in conversation yet, reports The Mirror.

When asked if he believed Angellica would share her side of the story, Andrew replied, “Maybe, if it comes up. I did ask her if she would address it, and she said ‘yeah, if it comes up in conversation’. It happened, you know?” ITV had previously clarified its position, saying: “Angellica is not working on the Martin Lewis Money Show Live, however, the relationship with her remains amicable and we are working with her on other forthcoming programmes.”

In a dramatic turn of events tonight, Angellica finds herself at the mercy of the viewers’ vote for the first time ever, shoulder to shoulder with TOWIE’s Ella Rae Wise, EastEnders’ Patsy Palmer, Love Island alumni Chris Hughes, and Drag Race luminary Danny Beard, after a round of direct face-to-face nominations. During an Easter special, tension rose as housemates were instructed to distribute their eggs into the baskets of those they wished to nominate.

The atmosphere charged with emotion when Angellica, visibly moved, nominated Patsy and confessed: “I don’t feel like you think I’m good enough.”

The stakes were further raised when Big Brother threw in a new curveball. Of the five nominees, one could be spared by discovering the golden egg, which fortune favoured JoJo Siwa to find. Yet, Big Brother had another surprise up its sleeve. Having dodged eviction, JoJo was faced with the hard choice of picking a replacement nominee and settled on Danny Beard, suggesting he ought to “read the room” better with his humor sometimes.