Dermot's BB Bow

January wouldn't be the same without a big dose of the post-Christmas blues and a new series of Celebrity Big Brother, but this year looks set to be very different.

 

Not only is Big Brother being hijacked by a group of game celebrities, but big mother Davina McCall has given over presenting duties to Dermot O'Leary for the show's month-long run on E4 - in its new guise as Celebrity Hijack.

 

Ever-smiling Davina will be back in the summer as normal, but for Dermot, this is the last time he will ever be involved with the nation's most famous house.

 

After helming Big Brother's Little Brother for seven years, the hunky presenter is off to concentrate on his new big show - X Factor.

 

"Last summer, it was absolutely brutal, to be honest," he admits. "I loved working on both The X Factor and BBLB, but I had literally three days off all summer.

 

"I think both shows suffered a bit as a result. I'm not going to do Big Brother forever, so I thought it was time to make that choice now. I thought I could have my cake and eat it, and really I couldn't."

 

You'd think now he's on the way out, Dermot would spill the beans on all the celebrities lined up to "hijack" Big Brother, but no - he's annoyingly staying schtum.

 

"I haven't got a clue," he claims. "Nobody ever tells me, because I'm hopeless at keeping secrets."

 

So we're not going to see Dermot having a go at being the booming voice?

 

"Oh my God! I didn't even think about that! That would be an amazing idea, I'd love that," he gushes.

 

"I reckon there'd be a dark side once I got into the chair and was talking to the Diary Room, I tell you that much."

 

As the host of BBLB, Dermot has had to wear some pretty crazy outfits over the years - from kangaroo costumes to Kylie outfits - as well as interview some equally crazy people.

 

"Dennis Rodman was an idiot when he came on," he admits. "He was swearing, and he'd been in a lap dancing club all night. He was a really big disappointment for me, because I'd really been looking forward to interviewing him. And obviously Jade was one of the toughest interviews I've had to do, but I was glad I did it."

 

With his first series of X Factor behind him, Dermot is looking like some hot TV stuff right now, but he admits he wouldn't be where he is now without Big Brother.

 

"It's been the defining show of my career, I suppose. You can't help but be so proud of a show that you presented from day one, that started out in a little broom cupboard and grew to be a daily show on Channel 4, and has a cult following that has stayed with it. I'm very, very proud of it, and I'll miss it a great deal. And also it's a show that allowed me to grow up on telly as well. It's given me all this amazing experience. I've no doubt that I wouldn't be as comfortable doing X Factor if I hadn't been having all the experience of Big Brother."

 

Dermot says he would love to throw a party on his final night of the show - but would rather avoid the waterworks.

 

"I'll be all right as long as some idiot doesn't do a 'Best of...' moments. Then I'll be blubbing before I know it."