He first shot to fame onIbiza Weekender back in 2016, but it wasn’t until his appearance – and eventual win – on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year that David Potts, and his legs, of course, became a household name.
And despite having been in the industry for eight years now, David, 31, admits that his newfound level of fame has been a big but positive change.
He exclusively tells Closer, “Before I went on CBB, I was known for Ibiza Weekender, which has a very specific audience. And a lot of the other shows that I’ve done, like Celebrity Karaoke Club and Celebs On The Farm, have also got that kind of similar audience. On the other hand, a lot of different people watch CBB who would probably have never seen me before on any of the other shows.
“I had a woman come up to me in Asda the other day and she said, ‘I was a bit unsure about you on CBB at first, but you won me right over. I was voting for you to win by the end’. I always love hearing that.”
On Ibiza Weekender, David, who nearly always wears shorts to show off his legs, was known for his no-nonsense but fun-loving attitude. It was that side of David that fans also loved to see on CBB as he completed various challenges, including forming a boy band alongside actor Bradley Riches and Strictly’s Nikita Kuzmin, and hilariously playing at being a corrupt cop alongside podcaster Zeze Mills – all of whom he’s become close friends with.
He says, “I still speak to Fern [Britton] every now and again. And then obviously Bradley, Zeze, Marisha [Wallace] and Coulson [Smith] – we were all at Bradley’s engagement party a few months ago celebrating him and his fiancé Scott. I do still speak to Nikita – he’s in the group chat with us – but he’s very busy.
“Me and Louis didn’t actually end up exchanging numbers. He was begging me for my number on quite a few occasions, but I had to decline. Sorry, Louis, I’m too busy to send you singing voice notes!”
With more fans and followers from his successful CBB stint, he’s been given more work opportunities and David recently partnered with Burger King UK to find the nation’s best “foodfilment faces”, which is all about that warm, fuzzy feeling you experience when a meal just hits the spot.
But despite being incredibly busy, David admits that an Ibiza Weekender reunion could still be on the cards for the near future.
He reveals, “Ibiza Weekender will always have a very, very special place in my heart. And I would absolutely love to do a reunion. We'll just have to wait and see. I would always find time for the show.
“There are a good few of us that are still in contact. We’ve still got a group chat called Hiya Huns – named by me, of course – which we all talk in, but I’m especially close with Ellie [Young] – who I did the first and second series with – I mean, she’s my best friend. And I’m still really close with Tash [Kiran], Jordan [Davies] and Callum [Izzard], Isobel [Mills] and they all came to my surprise party recently, which was absolutely lovely. It was so much fun.”
As well as an Ibiza Weekender reunion, there are plenty of other reality TV shows that David has his eye on.
“I like putting myself into a position where it’s out of my comfort zone,” he explains. “Like when I did Karaoke Club, and then CBB again was out of my comfort zone. I’d be awful in the I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here jungle – I would actually be the worst person that ever went on – but great TV for everyone. I’d go in for the weight loss!”
And despite appearing on Celebs Go Dating back in 2019, he would also return to seek the advice of the show’s dating experts, Anna Williamson and Paul C Brunson.
He adds, “I mean, I’m still single! I wouldn’t say no to doing it. I am the type of person where eventually I want to get married. And I’m running out of options in Bolton. So unless I move somewhere else, I think I’m going to need some kind of expert help.”
In the meantime though, as well as partnering with various brands, David is working hard on his new podcast, The David Potts Show, in which he discusses TV and interviews a celebrity guest each week. He’s also thinking hard about future career moves including potentially launching his own clothing range.
“Apparently, a lot of people are enjoying my fashion choices so there have been discussions about that,” he says.
“Because I just think it’s hard to find jazzy things for a plus-size man. If I can add a bit of pizzazz into the plus-size men’s range and some colour, I am ready to take it on.”