Patsy Palmer is one of two soap icons reportedly entering the Celebrity Big Brother house this year, as she joins Corrie’s Jack P. Shepherd for the 2025 series.
Other stars believed to have accepted big money for the stint inside ITV’s famous compound include Jojo Siwa, Mickey Rourke, and Trisha Goddard in what viewers have already branded the ‘best’ lineup ever.
But did you know that Patsy, who rose to fame as Bianca Jackson in EastEnders, isn’t actually called Patsy?
Honestly, this is like the time we found out that Bruno Mars’ real name is Peter—and we’re still processing that fact.
As she becomes a housemate in the hugely popular social experiment, let’s dive into Patsy’s life off-screen, including the name she uses in the States after leaving her life in the UK behind.
Patsy Palmer’s real name revealed
While we typically know her as Bianca, Patsy’s real name is actually Julie—we’re as stunned as you are.
During an appearance on This Morning in 2019, Patsy explained all, saying: ‘They [the fans] don’t know me [in America], and I have another name.
‘My name is Julie, really, so I thought, “I’m going to get back to calling myself my real name”.’
She added: ‘But I actually get so confused myself that sometimes I’ll say Patsy, and sometimes I’ll say Julie.
‘So now in Malibu, they call me Patsy Julie.
‘Julie Anne Harris was my name; my married name is Julie Merkell.’
Patsy’s showbiz name is believed to have been inspired by her mother, whose name is Patricia Harris, as her maiden name was Palmer.
Who is Patsy Palmer’s husband, and when did they get married?
Patsy has been married to her second husband, Richard Merkell, since 2000.
The actress and cab driver were friends for 14 years before striking up a romance and starting a family.
In 2012, they renewed their wedding vows in a Caribbean ceremony.
The soap legend has long spoken highly of Richard, having credited him for getting her through her addiction struggles in her twenties.
‘He’s given me what I’ve always really wanted—a real family,’ she said previously.
Patsy also told The Express in 2012 that he is an ‘amazing husband’ but still her ‘best friend’.
Who are Patsy Palmer’s children?
Patsy is a proud mum to four kids.
She shares three children—Fenton, 22, Emilia, 21, and Bertie, 14—with hubby Richard, and Charley Palmer Rothwell, 33, who is also an actor, with ex-partner Alfie Rothwell.
Having followed his famous mother’s footsteps into the world of showbusiness, Charley is known for Dunkirk (2017), Close (2019), and Legend (2015). He also appeared in the hit BBC series Our Girl.
But he’s not the only one of Patsy’s children to forge a career for himself in the public eye.
Fenton is a model, having featured in Wonderland, ID, and Flaunt magazine. He also dated Cindy Crawford’s supermodel daughter Kaia Gerber in 2017, but they eventually split.
Emilia is a model too, having signed with Storm LA Management. She appeared on the cover of Tatler’s Young Hollywood issue in 2018 and also uses her Instagram for influencing.
Inside Patsy Palmer’s life in Malibu
Patsy and her family relocated to Malibu in 2014.
She still occasionally returns to the UK for work, of course, such as her signing to Celebrity Big Brother and other previous shows such as Dancing On Ice.
Speaking on the Shuffle Skip Repeat podcast, she once said that she’s living her ‘dream life’ in America with no plans to return to England full-time.
‘It’s beautiful. We live in our own little bubble. Malibu is its own little place; we very much keep ourselves to ourselves, and we have a lot of English friends,’ she shared.
‘I pinch myself every morning when I wake up and see the ocean; it’s like a dream. But I’ve created that.
‘I don’t think I would live in England again. I would like to experience something else in life, but I’m not too sure if I will.’
In January this year, Patsy and her family were devastated by the damage caused by the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires.
Thankfully, their home remained standing, but their ‘magical’ community was destroyed.
‘You know it’s only stuff, but I really love all my bits and pieces. I know it’s nothing compared to human life, but for the kids, it is their whole world,’ she told Lorraine Kelly.
‘For me, it was really sad thinking of Bertie, you know, that age of 14 when you just start hanging around and all your experiences with your friends. That was sad for me to think that has all been taken away from them.
‘At drop-off, we see all the groups of kids, and we always say, “Isn’t it lovely they get to hang out in these beautiful places?” It’s sunny, late nights, all of it—it’s just magical, and it’s just taken away from them.
‘And these kids have had it happen a lot to them in the last few years. For them, it’s very traumatising.’
Celebrity Big Brother airs each night at 9pm on ITV.
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