Helen Wood (television personality)

In 2006, Wood was a single mother and in debt and was recruited into escort work by her former friend Jenny Thompson.

Jennifer Thompson sold a story to the News of the World claiming she and Wood were each paid £1,000 for a threesome with Wayne Rooney in a Manchester hotel in July 2008 while his wife, Coleen Rooney, was five months pregnant.[4][5] It was reported his solicitors unsuccessfully tried to fight the allegations when they first surfaced in early August 2010.[6][7] Wood allegedly attempted to gain support from Wayne Rooney's agent to suppress the story. Wood eventually sold her version of events for £40,000.[8]

In 2011, an actor took out a court injunction to prevent her revealing their relationship.[9] The actor paid Wood after booking her via an escort agency in March 2008.[10] Despite the injunction, the actor's name was revealed in the Irish and US press.[11] Former publicist Max Clifford represented Wood at the time. Shortly after the injunction was carried out, both Wood & Clifford appeared to be no longer associated.

In 2014, Wood controversially won Big Brother 15, where the winner's prize was £100,000. She was the first woman to win the competition since the show's inception on Channel 5.

Ofcom received over 1,500 complaints for Wood and Pauline Bennett bullying Jale Karaturp.[12] Wood received a warning on Day 12 due to bullying Jale Karaturp[13] and on Day 21, she received another warning due to using threatening behaviour to fellow housemate Matthew Davies.[14]

Wood continued her feud with fellow housemate Danielle McMahon after the series had finished. Wood was arrested in March 2015 following an altercation with McMahon.[11]

She returned in Big Brother 16 for two weeks as a "Time Warp Housemate".[15] Wood clashed with another Time Warp Housemate, Brian Belo, branding him "psycho", comparing him to a murderer and telling him he "looked like a rapist". Belo climbed over the big brother wall house, Wood received a final formal warning.[11] Channel 5 boss Ben Frow banned her from appearing on the series or its sister show, Bit on the Side, ever again. He stated that it was a "mistake in allowing her to be a housemate for the second time".[11] Wood went on to explain her reasons in her memoir to what allegedly happened behind the scenes between her & Belo.

After her appearance on Big Brother, Wood wrote a column for British tabloid newspaper the Daily Star.[16]

Her debut memoir, A Man’s World, was released on 3 June 2019.

In 2019, Wood appeared on James English’ “Anything Goes” podcast where she spoke about her troubled upbringing, career and relationship with Wayne Rooney.