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<\/p>\nJamie O\u2019Hara admits he regrets choosing Big Brother over a football contract \u2013 despite netting \u00a3300,000 for appearing on the reality show.<\/p>\n
Early in the 2016\/17 season, O\u2019Hara, now 37, found himself without a club after leaving Gillingham. The former Tottenham and Wolves midfielder was in limbo, but he was given a chance to kick-start his career by Nigel Clough\u2019s Burton Albion, then of the Championship. <\/p>\n
O\u2019Hara was keen on the move and a short-term contract was in the pipeline \u2013 only for producers of Celebrity Big Brother to make him an offer he couldn\u2019t refuse. O\u2019Hara, now a radio pundit, was reunited with Clough when the now-Mansfield manager appeared on talkSPORT recently.<\/p>\n
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Clough recalled: "He said he was happy and he wanted to get back playing and I thought if we offer him a few hundred quid a week… then Big Brother happened."<\/p>\n
Still feeling bad about the snub, O\u2019Hara offered Clough a belated apology, saying: "Oh Nige I\u2019m sorry mate. I went up there [to Burton] and Nige was brilliant with me to be fair because I hadn\u2019t been playing. I was out and I was a little bit worried about my fitness.<\/p>\n
Did O'Hara make the right decision? Tell us in the comments section below<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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"He asked me to come up there and I trained really well for a few days. He was like \u2018look, I really want you, I need a midfielder\u2019 but I\u2019d already signed a contract to go in Big Brother!<\/p>\n
"I said to my agent \u2018Nigel wants me to sign a contract. How much are they offering?\u2019 He said, \u2018a couple of grand a week\u2019. It was \u00a3300,000 to go on Big Brother. I said 'sorry Nige, I\u2019m off'. I do apologise though Nige, I do regret that one."<\/p>\n
O\u2019Hara spent 27 days on the show before being evicted. He added: \u201cBig Nige didn\u2019t talk to me when I got out!" O'Hara did carry on playing, albeit in non-league with Billericay Town, where he also had a stint as manager before moving into the media with talkSPORT.<\/p>\n