My suspicions about JoJo Siwa were proven right on Celebrity Big Brother

I didn’t know what to make of JoJo Siwa at first.

Before this year, I only knew vague details about her. I was aware she’d become famous on a TV show called Dance Moms. I knew she’d been a children’s TV star on Nickelodeon, claimed to have invented ‘gay pop’ (a claim she later clarified) and had the whitest teeth on the planet.

Last year, I caught a glimpse of JoJo’s set while I was at Mighty Hoopla. I could have spotted her from a mile away, in her rainbow-coloured cut-out ensemble and her bold KISS-style makeup as she pranced around in the sunshine.

When it was announced that she’d joined Celebrity Big Brother 2025, I was excited to find out more about the 21-year-old, to dig deeper under the popstar façade and find out what she was really like at her core.

I had a feeling I’d find her endearing, and that a lot of other viewers – including those who found her incessantly annoying – would warm to her too.

My suspicions were proven absolutely correct.

Yes, some people might find JoJo’s loud presence a bit much, especially if you’re living with her 24/7. I’m only watching condensed versions of what it’s like in the House in the daily episodes, so who knows how I’d handle being her housemate.

But JoJo has been consistently sweet, caring, emotionally intelligent and her complete authentic self from start to finish on the ITV series.

To start with, her friendship with former Love Island star Chris Hughes. Yes, it does have some viewers wagging their eyebrows, questioning if it’s truly platonic on both sides.

For what it’s worth, I’ve always seen two people who’ve bonded and discovered that they have similar ways of showing affection, which in their case, is being silly and tactile.

There’s no reason why JoJo – who shared her realisation in the House that she’s not a lesbian, but is queer – can’t have a close friendship with a man while also missing and loving her partner on the outside.

Their friendship started on a heartbreaking note. When Mickey Rourke made a homophobic comment towards JoJo, she was obviously upset, but trying to keep it bottled in.

After confronting Mickey over his comments, Chris went over to JoJo, gave her a hug and let her cry it all out. And so, the start of a beautiful friendship was born, one forged on sensitivity and empathy.

But there’s a lot more to JoJo than just her friendship with Chris. It’s true that she has plenty of experience on reality shows (as do many of the other housemates on the series).

She’s been accused of being a gameplayer. I can’t help feeling that she’s been anything but. She’s just being herself, kind, friendly and compassionate.

If that’s what being a gameplayer really means, then we could all take a leaf out of her playbook.

JoJo is the youngest celebrity in the House this year, and yet she’s carried herself with a level of maturity that some might think is way beyond her years. Just the other day, she comforted Chesney Hawkes when he was upset by comments made by Ella Rae Wise.

‘Everything that was said in that room was said in a really bad tone from Ella,’ she told the 53-year-old. ‘It was trying to make a stink and trying to get a rise.’

‘JoJo is very mature for her age!’ one fan called Lisa commented on Instagram, while Jemma wrote: ‘Her emotional maturity is off the scale. She consistently presents a masterclass on not taking responsibilities for others feelings, as well as rock solid boundaries.’

For someone who’s been in the public eye – in America, no less – since she was a child, that’s certainly a mighty feat.

Looking ahead to tonight’s final, do I think JoJo could win the whole series? Personally, I think if she did win, she’d be a worthy victor. But there are some fantastic personalities in the final, with Danny Beard and Jack P. Shepherd the current frontrunners for the crown.

Even if she doesn’t walk away victorious, she can hold her head up high for the way she conducted herself in the House, dealing with derogatory language, unfair accusations and snarky judgement from other housemates behind her back.

Hopefully, her experience in the House has proven how important it is not to judge people on first impressions. There may still be people out there who dismiss her, refusing to see past her popstar persona. But she’s certainly gained a new fan in me.

The Celebrity Big Brother final airs tonight at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

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