Former BBC journalist Andy West came fourth in the live Big Brother final.

The 34-year-old, who became engaged to his partner during the series, bounded down the stairs to greet his previously evicted housemates and pose for photographers.

Andy West came fourth in the BB final (Channel 5)
Andy West came fourth in the BB final (Channel 5)

His exit leaves Jackson Blyton, Jason Burrill and Hughie Maughan in the final three.

Speaking after his exit, Andy joked with host Emma Willis: “I’ve been trying to get here for weeks. They finally let me out of the house.

“I was nominated and nominated and nominated. They just got me wrong and they got this idea of me they wouldn’t let go of.”

Andy had been disliked initially by his housemates (Channel 5)
Andy had been disliked initially by his housemates (Channel 5)

Asked about why some housemates initially thought he was manipulative, he said: “I think if someone is quiet and thinks about things before they do things it can come across like that. I don’t think there was any evidence of that.”

He had redeemed himself by the end of the show, making strong friendships inside the house.

However, he did admit to Emma that he hadn’t found the “intelligent conversation” in the house that he so desperately craved, saying his fellow contestants’ chat was interesting but “not highbrow”.

“Do I sound a bit arrogant or patronising?” he asked.

But viewers knew his true side.

Viewers thought it was a shame he went out.

And there was backlash against those who had written Andy off from the beginning.