January is officially under way which means the ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ house is currently full (or, rather, half full at the moment) with a fresh batch of stars.
For 2018′s first series, bosses are mixing things up and as well as TV stars past and present, there’s a politician, journalist and even a headline-hitting former Detective Constable among them.
But its often the US imports who are - how do we say this politely? - the least well-known housemates, which brings us to Malika Haqq.
The reality TV star will be familiar to fans of ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’, but it’s fair to say she has room to improve in the fame stakes here in Britain.
As she prepares to fight for the ‘CBB’ crown, here’s everything you need to know about the reality TV star...
1. She’s a twin
Malika and her sister, Khadijah, were born in Los Angeles on 10 March 1983.
2. She might be about to spill some Kardashian family secrets
Malika is best known for appearing in ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’, thanks to the fact she’s a longtime pal of Khloe Kardashian and once worked as her personal assistant.
At this point, she’s pretty much an honorary Kardashian and has lent her support to the family countless times over the years, helping Khloe through the difficult months that followed her split from Lamar Odom.
And of course, all of this means she must know a lot of family secrets. While there’s no doubt that someone - *cough* Kris Jenner - will have briefed her on what to say and, more importantly, what not to say, we’re hoping she’ll let a few tidbits of information slip out.
3. She even featured in her own spin-off show
‘Dash Dolls’ charted the sisters’ time running the Kardashian family’s Hollywood boutique.
4. Her other credits include ‘Entourage’ and ‘Strong Medicine’
No, we hadn’t heard of ‘Strong Medicine’ before either, but it turns out the show is a 2004 medical drama co-created by Whoopi Goldberg, focussing on women’s stories. Malika may have only popped up in one episode, but we’re seriously considering streaming the whole thing.
5. Malika’s (recently) single
She was dating rapper O.T. Genasis, who gifted her a seriously impressive diamond watch for Christmas. However, shortly before jetting over to the UK for ‘CBB’, break-up rumours began circulating and they were soon given weight by the fact Malika deleted all traces of her boyfriend from social media accounts.
6. She probably got some advice on how to survive the ‘CBB’ house
We reckon it’s safe to assume Malika tapped up Jonathan Cheban for some tips - though we’re not sure how useful he’d be… - but he’s not only the ex-’CBB’ star she knows.
Thanks to a stint on ‘Famously Single’, Malika’s also encountered Chad Johnson, Tiffany Pollard and Calum Best before.
7. Malika really wants to win
“I’m mostly looking forward to winning ‘Celebrity Big Brother’,” she said in her entry VT. “Isn’t that what everybody would say?
“I think I will be the fun housemate. The talkative housemate. The housemate that cries. The helpful housemate. I think I will be a lot of things.”
8. But to quote ‘CBB’ great Kim Woodburn, she won’t put up with any nonsense
On ‘KUWTK’, Malika has never been afraid of telling pal Khloe what she really thinks and the pair have clashed - and made up - on more than a few occasions. She’s also previously commented on the Kardashian sisters’ various rows.
9. The bookies don’t rate her chances
At 25/1, Malika has the longest odds of any of the current housemates but if recent series of ‘CBB’ have taught us anything, it’s that the show is anything but predictable.