Chantelle Houghton says people thought she was a 'drug addict'

If you have been affected by anything in this article, please call Beat Eating Disorders on 0808 801 0677See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy LILY JOBSON, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER Published: 08:55 BST, 22 July 2026 | Updated: 08:56 BST, 22 July 2026

Chantelle Houghton has revealed her friends and family questioned if she was a 'drug addict' because of her rapid weight loss back in 2023.The legendary Big Brother housemate, 42, has been incredibly open over the years about her fluctuating weight.She first embarked on her weight loss transformation after reaching 13 stone following her 2021 split from ex-fiancé Michael Strutt and was relentlessly trolled for her weight.Chantelle, who has struggled with body dysmorphia for more than 20 years, said she started to become fixated on losing pounds after dropping more than four stone during the pandemic.As the weight fell off quickly, Chantelle found herself 'getting a buzz' out of being able to fit into her then 12-year-old daughter's clothes.Chantelle said: 'People were saying I was a crackhead. I remember my brother looking at me one day and saying, "Chantelle, if I didn't know you, I'd think you were dying". Chantelle Houghton has revealed her friends and family questioned if she was a 'drug addict' because of her rapid weight loss back in 2023 (pictured) She first embarked on her weight loss transformation after reaching 13 stone following her 2021 split from ex-fiancé Michael Strutt and was relentlessly trolled for her weight'It did get to a point where I had to ask myself, "Am I going to die for this? Am I going to kill myself?"She added to The Sun: 'I felt 100 years old. I had no energy. I’d wake up in the morning, and my whole body would be in pain. It felt like my bones were hurting, and I was so weak I couldn’t even walk my dog for very long.'My body was shutting down, crying out for nourishment. I knew I was slowly killing myself through not eating. I was starving myself to death.'Chantelle says she is now at a healthy weight and is 'more confident' with how she looks and feels. 'I feel more confident now', she admitted. 'I feel like a woman again, with curves in the right places. I don’t feel weak anymore and I don’t get out of bed in pain.'Chantelle famously entered the Celebrity Big Brother house in 2006 as a non-celebrity tasked with convincing her housemates she was famous and bagged the win - including £25,000.Chantelle was married to singer Preston, 44, for a year after meeting in the house before embarking on a string of other high-profile relationships. She was also engaged to Katie Price's ex Alex Reid, with whom she shares daughter Dolly, now 14.They ended the relationship after claims she had been unfaithful with other men and turned their home into a sex dungeon in 2011.Chantelle also dated former Crimewatch host Rav Wilding, before they were pictured having a blazing row which led to them splitting up in 2012. Chantelle says she is now at a healthy weight and is 'more confident' with how she looks and feels (pictured this year)In March 2025, she explained she hadn't dated in years and is enjoying a quiet life as a single mum following a string of headline-grabbing romances.Opening up about her lack of love life, she told OK! magazine: 'I have no love life! I’ve been single for many, many years now because of the circumstances that I was in.'I wasn’t forced, but I was in circumstances looking after my little girl, where I spent a lot of my time alone.'And I’m not one of those people to be with someone just for the sake of it. I’ve always said that I’d rather be sitting on the sofa by myself than be sitting on the sofa with someone feeling lonely, because there’s nothing worse than actually being in a relationship and feeling lonely and unhappy.'