Big Brother's Will Best could host ITV launch show solo as AJ Odudu loses her voice

Big Brother is due to return to screens this weekend for the 2024 season - but both hosts Will Best and AJ Odudu are battling afflictions as the countdown to the launch ticks closer

Big Brother could be presenterless when the show returns this weekend as host Will Best has revealed both he and AJ Odudu are under the weather.

The 39-year-old former Celebrity Coach Trip hunk and the stunning 36-year-old former Strictly Come Dancing contestant were unmasked as the new hosts of the iconic reality show when it was revived by ITV last year - and went on to win acclaim for their presenting work. But the new season - which is due to start on Sunday - could begin without either of them as they are both battling illnesses.

Speaking on Capital Breakfast on Thursday, Will revealed that both he and AJ are fighting illness in the countdown to the start of the new season. He explained: "I’ve got a stiff neck. It’s a bit better today, yesterday was bad, I’ve got an emergency physio in a couple of hours after this.

"It’s always good to just before the biggest show of the year, when you’re going to be live for six weeks, with all kinds of mad stuff, to not be able to move." He then went on to explain that AJ has also been struck down with an illness that has left her hoarse. He said: "AJ’s lost her voice as well. I saw her yesterday, we did a podcast record. That’s why she’s not doing radio today."

Will has previously promised Big Brother fans that the upcoming season - which will be the 21st season overall, and the second civilian version to air via ITV - will be bigger and better than ever before. He told The Sun this week: "I’m excited about the tasks, I think the tasks this year, maybe some learning – not learning as that makes it sound like there were things that could have been better – as the tasks were phenomenal last series. But I’ve been speaking to a few members of the team and I think they’ve raised the bar even further this series. I think the tasks have been taken up a notch."

The new season is due to launch on Saturday night and will see a group composed of members of the British public held under 24/7 surveillance for a total of 36 days. The 2023 season was won 26-year-old Jordan Sangha - a lawyer from Scunthorpe. Love blossomed between the eventual winner and one of his co-stars, Henry Southan.

The boys embarked on a romance after leaving the house after fans watched them grow close over the course of the 20th season of the show. Earlier this summer, the boys teased they might even tie-the-knot - with Henry quipping to The Sun back in August: "Who knows, I love him to bits."

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