Former Conservative MP Michael Fabricant has a reputation for being one of Westminster's most flamboyant figures, and has often faced speculation about whether his shaggy blond locks are real or pinned on. Fabricant, 74, has always denied wearing a wig, despite persistent rumours being spread saying that he does by both the public and fellow politicians.

In an interview with the Mirror in 2014, he admitted that "there is some - but only some - enhancement of the follicular area". However, this admission did not put a stop to the gossip surrounding his appearance. In 2019 he was forced to defend himself when a fellow Tory MP, Huw Merriman, was caught on camera allegedly pointing to his hair during Prime Minister Question Time.

Fabricant hit back at his colleague for potentially discussing his locks in Parliament, telling the BBC: "Huw is pretty short-sighted, he's a relatively new member of Parliament - bless - he didn’t know that PMQs is actually televised. And I’m sure if he did, he would have behaved in a more grown-up way."

The former MP has often expressed the sentiment that "my hair is me", and he made this clear during an appearance on Celebrity First Dates where his romantic prospect asked him to "get rid of [the wig]".

Beyond his luscious locks, Fabricant is known for having a larger than life personality, and perhaps because of that, has had various controversial moments over the course of his 30 year political career.

In 2018 Fabricant was accused of sharing an Islamophobic tweet featuring London mayor Sadiq Khan. Although he later deleted the image and apologised, he was still subject to backlash from followers who were unhappy with his endorsement of the crude image.

The MP claimed he hadn't seen the picture he was retweeting, saying: "Because I was distracted in a meeting and saw it on a tiny iPhone screen, I didn't spot what it really was. I would never deliberately put up a racist or Islamophobic tweet to offend people."

He also got into bother in 2016 for shouting an expletive in the House of Commons during a debate on Brexit, and had to apologise to teachers and nurses in 2021 after claiming they were enjoying "quiet drinks" in staff rooms during the COVID lockdown.

Now Fabricant is in the perfect position to make headlines again as he joins the cast of Celebrity Big Brother. Speaking about his appearance ahead of the reality show airing tonight, a source told the MailOnline: "He doesn’t hold back, he’s going to be compulsive viewing, we can’t wait. We wanted a top politician but one with enormous personality which would entertain the viewers."