Trisha Goddard recalled what Nelson Mandela said to her baby daughter as she discussed meeting him on Wednesday’s episode of Celebrity Big Brother.
The presenter, 67, is mum to daughters Madison, 35, and Billie, 32, from her first marriage to Australian TV producer Mark Greive.
Discussing a meeting with Nelson, Trisha explained how she took a then three-month-old, Billie, along with her.
Speaking to her co-stars, she explained: ‘I worked with Nelson Mandela after his release from prison so it would have been in 1989.
‘I spent a fair amount of time with him and I kept apologising because I had my baby and I was breastfeeding.
‘He hadn’t heard a baby cry or giggle in 28 years so he used to grab Billie and sing to her.’
Trisha Goddard recalled what Nelson Mandela said to her baby daughter as she discussed meeting him on Wednesday’s episode of Celebrity Big Brother
The presenter, 67, is mum to daughters Madison, 35, and Billie, 32, and explained how she took a then three-month-old, Billie, along with her to meet Nelson (pictured in 2009)
Trisha continued: ‘In the end he wrote a letter to my daughter who would have been three-months-old and said, she is both black and white, and represented people working together.
‘People coming together and one day you won’t be able to tell where people come from and maybe the we will have peace.’
Nelson spent 18 of his first 27 years in captivity at the infamous Robben Island prison, known for its brutal treatment and inhumane living conditions.
He delivered his famous ‘Speech from the Dock’ while facing the death penalty on April 20, 1964 – and he ended his speech by saying, ‘I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination.
‘I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.
‘It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die’ – words that symbolised his life-long dedication to the fight for equality.
Years of unjust imprisonment and a Nobel Peace Prize later, Nelson voted for the first time in 1994 and in the same year, he became the first democratically-elected President of South Africa.
He passed away in 2013 at the age of 95 after spending three months in hospital with a lung infection.
Speaking to her co-stars, she explained: ‘He hadn’t heard a baby cry or giggle in 28 years so he used to grab Billie and sing to her’
Trisha continued: ‘In the end he wrote a letter to my daughter who would have been three-months-old and said, she is both black and white, and represented people working together’
She shares Madison and Billie with her first husband Australian TV producer Mark Greive
Trista previously revealed it was her daughter Billie who gave her the final push to take part in Celebrity Big Brother (pictured with Billie)
Trista previously revealed it was her daughter Billie who gave her the final push to take part in Celebrity Big Brother – despite reportedly turning down the offer multiple times in the past.
The media personality, who last year confirmed the return of the cancer she first battled in 2008, candidly admitted that she had no real intention of joining the show, even after repeated invitations over the years.
However, a simple conversation with her oldest daughter Billie, 35, changed everything.
She said: ‘So this time I was asked and I said to my daughter, my older daughter, I said, “Oh God, as usual, they’ve asked me to go do Big Brother.”
‘And she said, “Mum, while you’re going through this whole cancer shenanigans, you have become passionate about the language around it.
‘”The lack of joined up services, the way the press reports it, the misinformation, you’re doing it on Instagram, you’re supporting people,” and they support me… you know, my daughter said “you got all of these stuff you’re passionate about.”
‘I’ve done local press in America about it… she said, “Mum, this is your opportunity for people to see what you’re talking about, not just the words, to actually see, what 3.4 million people, according to the Macmillan, by December, 3.4 million people in the UK alone are living with cancer.”
‘Six million people are living with a chronic illness now. Now they’re not all on benefits. Most of them are working.
‘A lot of them keep it secret because they think they won’t get further work or they’ll be fired. And that’s a very real fear.
‘But all those millions of people who could benefit from better joined up services, people using better language around them. All of those things… So I said yes.’
Trisha revealed it was her daughter who changed her mind about entering Celebrity Big Brother; pictured with hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best
The star relocated to the US in 2010 as she devastatingly revealed the cancer ‘is not going away’ and keeping the secret was ‘becoming a burden’.
But, while she was ‘nervous’ about revealing the cancer’s re-emergence, ‘it needed to be done’.
She received the terminal diagnosis 20 months ago.
The mother-of-two has secondary breast cancer – meaning the disease started in the breast and spread to another part of the body – for which there is treatment but no cure.
CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER 2025: MEET THE LINEUP!
MICKEY ROURKE
AGE: 72
FAMOUS FOR: The actor and former pro boxer is one of the show’s biggest ever signings and after public feuds with Robert De Niro, two marriages and a string of high profile relationships, he will be bringing plenty of drama.
DALEY THOMPSON
AGE: 66
FAMOUS FOR: The double Olympic gold-medallist is considered one of Britain’s greatest athletes. He broke the decathlon world record four times.
PATSY PALMER
AGE: 52
FAMOUS FOR: It’s an open secret that Patsy is leaving EastEnders, with the actress enjoying a wild leaving party this month. The Bianca Jackson star posted a snap of her character on Instagram with the caption: ‘Bye bye B, always grateful to see her again.’
DONNA PRESTON
AGE: 38
FAMOUS FOR: While Donna has featured in several TV shows and movies, the comedy star is known for hosting Apocalypse and for the role of a circus Compere in 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald. She plays Den in Coronation Street, has featured in Pants On Fire in 2019 and even wrote and co-produced BBC Three’s Comedy Threesomes.
CHESNEY HAWKES
AGE: 53
FAMOUS FOR: The singer topped the charts for five weeks in 1991 with his hit The One And Only, before making a string of acting and TV appearances. His arrival on CBB has been described by a TV source as ‘perfect timing’, as he’s just released a comeback album
ANGELLICA BELL
AGE: 49
FAMOUS FOR: The TV presenter is said to have landed a staggering five-figure deal to appear on Celebrity Big Brother. Fans will be keen to see if the CBBC legend spills all on her untimely exit from The Martin Lewis Show – which left fans baffled back in 2023. Angellica currently co-presents Hits Radio while Fleur East is on maternity leave.
DANNY BEARD
AGE: 32
FAMOUS FOR: The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner – whose real name is Daniel Curtis – has signed up as a late entry. Danny previously made headlines after swearing on Big Brother’s Late & Live last March whilst doing an impression of housemate Louis Walsh. The incident saw the guest say the word ‘c***’ before immediately apologising after being informed they weren’t allowed to say that on the show.
CHRIS HUGHES
AGE: 32
FAMOUS FOR: After shooting to fame on Love Island in 2017, Chris went on to become a sports presenter and regularly hosts the horse racing coverage on ITV.
JOJO SIWA
AGE: 21
FAMOUS FOR: The American singer, who shot to stardom on reality show Dance Moms, is expected to draw a big American audience. The hitmaker has made a name for herself in the U.S. pop charts and is known for her outlandish looks and being a vocal member of the LGBTQ+ community.
TRISHA GODDARD
AGE: 67
FAMOUS FOR: The talk show host regularly presented on ITV from 1998 to 2004 and then shifted to Channel 5 from 2004 to 2010. Trisha has been suffering horrible side effects of her chemotherapy – but has bravely battled on.
JACK P. SHEPHERD
AGE: 37
FAMOUS FOR: The actor has played David Platt in Corrie since 2000 and is following in his pal Colson Smith’s footsteps by taking part in the popular reality show. He has won a string of awards for the role including Best Actor at the British Soap Awards.
ELLA RAE WISE
AGE: 24
FAMOUS FOR: Producers have been keen to land the TV personality, who previously dated Pete Wicks and has had an on-off romance with Dan Edgar. Bosses are hoping the TOWIE star might reveal all about some of her other famous exes.
MICHAEL FABRICANT
AGE: 74
FAMOUS FOR: The former Conservative politician is understood to have signed a lucrative six-figure deal to take part after political stars were banned from the broadcaster’s other reality show, I’m A Celeb. He served as MP for Lichfield in Staffordshire from 1992 until his defeat in 2024 as well as vice-chairman of the party under David Cameron. But he is perhaps best known for his blond mop for which he has been widely ridiculed but previously denied is a wig.
