He said he was “self-doubting” when he joined the ITV show, and he should have been “more authentic”. “I could have been way more gregarious,” he said.
Speaking about his many references to the royal family, he said: “People were asking me a lot of questions specifically about that because they didn’t know what to ask me. And I did volunteer it a lot.”
“First time on TV and I cried like a baby, twice,” he said about his experience.
Mr Goldsmith repeatedly praised his royal niece as being “simply perfect” and defended her decision not to speak publicly about her recent surgery.
By contrast, he was vocal in his criticism of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, accusing Harry of “throwing his family under a bus” and Meghan of creating drama that did not exist to “rewrite history.”
The tattooed father of one, known to the Princess as Uncle G, came to prominence in 2009 when he was photographed by an undercover reporter from the now-defunct News of the World apparently cutting up cocaine on the kitchen worktop at his home in Ibiza.
Domestic violence controversy
In November 2017, he attacked his fourth and current wife, Julie-Ann, during an argument outside their home after she accused him of taking drugs.
Mr Goldsmith, who made his fortune in IT recruitment, pleaded guilty to one count of assault by beating. He narrowly escaped jail and was instead fined £5,000 and given a 12-month community order with 20 sessions of rehabilitation.
His eviction from the Big Brother house came after domestic abuse campaigners criticised his inclusion on the show.
Women’s Aid warned that the decision to allow him to take part suggested that his crime had not been taken seriously.
A spokeswoman said: “The decision to include a man who has been charged, and pleaded guilty to, assaulting his wife, in the Celebrity Big Brother house demonstrates the lack of awareness that the production team has when it comes to survivors of domestic abuse.
“The producers should consider how Gary Goldsmith’s appearance will impact women who have survived domestic abuse and how they will feel watching him on TV every night.”
