Sally Bercow apparently revealing how she gave her husband a 'dirty weekend' to persuade him to let her appear in the downmarket programme

Her decision to enter the Big Brother house had already triggered fears she would embarrass both herself and her husband.

Not that Sally Bercow – the publicity-hungry wife of House of Commons speaker John – appears to have let those concerns affect her.

After apparently revealing how she gave her husband a 'dirty weekend' to persuade him to let her appear in the downmarket programme, Mrs Bercow took part in a louche debate just hours after entering the house.

Sally Bercow, wife of the House of Commons Speaker, John Bercow, says her husband didn't know she was entering the Celebrity Big Brother House until two days ago

Early yesterday, the 41-year-old became involved in a less-than-ladylike discussion about intimate beauty treatments with Amy Childs, whose claim to fame is a role in reality show The Only Way Is Essex.

Mr Bercow – who is on holiday in India while the programme is on – had been vehemently against his wife taking part in the series, saying he found it 'completely dreadful'. 

 

 

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However Mrs Bercow, who will personally receive £40,000 for her appearance, was keen to participate, with sources suggesting that 'upsetting the establishment' particularly appealed to her. 

 

Glamorous: Sally appeared confident as she dazzled the crowds in her short, blue dress with diamanté straps

Essex girl: Big Brother contestant Amy Childs

Before entering the house, she apparently told a friend how she persuaded her husband to drop his objections.

'I just used my feminine wiles and took John away for a dirty weekend in Devon,' she said.  'He eventually gave in, though he made me promise not to say or do anything that might harm him.'

Yesterday, her spokesman Max Clifford could not confirm the claim but said: 'Sally is very happy with their personal life.'

Mrs Bercow entered the house, in Elstree, Hertfordshire, on Thursday. As well as Miss Childs, she is 'starring' alongside former X Factor contestants Jedward and ex-pop star Kerry Katona.

Audience figures for the launch of the series, which has switched to Channel 5 after being dumped by Channel 4, were down on last year at an average of 5.1million.

Before she entered the house an unnamed Tory MP had said: 'With Mrs Bercow under 24-hour scrutiny, it is going to be impossible for her not to embarrass her husband and herself.'

Good luck: Sally chats with host Brian Dowling before disappearing into the Big brother house

Last night Tory MP Brian Binley said he 'felt sorry' for Mr Bercow.

'Clearly, he is married to a very strong-willed woman, who seemingly doesn't spend too much time thinking about the status of her husband's position,' he said.

And Kate Hoey, the former Labour sports minister, said the Speaker's wife should hand some of her £40,000 fee to the Exchequer 'to make up for her free accommodation provided at the expense of the taxpayer'.

But Louise Mensch, the Conservative MP for Corby, supported Mrs Bercow, saying: 'Sally Bercow is her own woman and it's about time people stopped seeing wives as adjuncts of their husbands.'