Harry Symonds, a 30-year-old online fitness coach from Croydon, was evicted from the Big Brother house on October 23, 2026, in what presenters AJ Odudu and Will Best described as the closest public vote of the series. Symonds faced eviction for the first time, competing against fellow housemates Catrin, Samuel, and Twinks, but ultimately lost his place in the ITV reality show.
The eviction was announced during the live show, with presenters revealing that this week's vote had been the tightest of the series so far. The official Big Brother UK account on X posted a message confirming his departure, saying, "The tagpole leaves the pond, Harry is next to be evicted!"
Harry's reaction and time in the house
Earlier in the evening, Symonds appeared relaxed about the possibility of leaving, stating that if evicted, he planned to watch football on Saturday. Speaking before the result was revealed, he said, "Whatever happens, happens... let His will be done."
Symonds, a Crystal Palace fan, had been in the Big Brother house since the series launched on September 13. He was among 16 new housemates who entered at the start of the series and had survived without facing the public vote until this week.
Nominations twist and viewer reaction
Symonds found himself at risk following the show's latest nominations twist, which saw housemates enter Big Brother's "Time Zone" one at a time, with the chance to change who was facing eviction. Philip was the first to enter and initially chose Catrin, Harry, Samuel, and Twinks. The remaining housemates were then given the opportunity to swap up to two names on the nomination podiums, though they could not swap themselves.
By the time Rhianna entered the Time Zone as the final housemate, Catrin, Harry, Samuel, and Twinks were facing eviction. Rhianna chose Catrin and Twinks, leaving the line-up unchanged and confirming Harry's place in the public vote.
The nominations sparked frustration among some viewers, with fans complaining that the wrong housemates had been placed at risk. Some viewers described those facing eviction as the "nice people" and "good guys" of the house.
Harry's background and motivations
Before entering the house, Symonds said taking part was more about the experience than winning. He said, "It's literally the experience. It's not actually about the money or anything else that comes with it. It's more about the experience. I've been doing my own business for quite some time now, and this would be my one proper break."
He also said he hoped to bring positivity to the house, stating, "I'm not very serious. If everything's all doom and gloom I'll try and bring people back to reality. So, like a sense of a bit more normality. Not taking things to heart so much, a bit more light-hearted. That's how I hope to be in the house, give off good energy." Symonds added that he had no strategy for reaching the final and would instead "take each day as it comes."
Symonds, who describes himself as a gay Christian, has previously worked as a police officer. According to reports, he is married to former Conservative MP Scott Benton, with the pair marrying at the Palace of Westminster in 2021. Benton represented Blackpool South between 2019 and 2024 and resigned from Parliament after being found to have committed an "extremely serious breach" of Commons rules. He had been secretly recorded by undercover reporters offering to lobby ministers and table parliamentary questions on behalf of supposed gambling investors.
Symonds said when entering Big Brother that he currently lives alone, and it is unclear whether the pair remain together. His eviction brings his time in the Big Brother house to an end. Big Brother continues on ITV2 and ITVX on Sunday to Friday at 9pm.
