WITH cocaine binges, lustful actors barely able to keep their hands off each other and boozy benders every night, the late Dame Jilly Cooper would have been proud of her Rivals cast.
Their wild antics would outshone debaucherous scenes penned by the bonkbuster writer, who died aged 88 this year, which titillated viewers after being adapted for a Netflix series.
A TV show mole told us that once filming wrapped “everything was just as raunchy and chaotic as the show” and, in fact, “it made Jilly’s plot look tame” and she “could only dream of such scandal”.
“There was lots of cocaine-taking in trailers,” the insider said. “They’d live it up at all-nighters then go straight to set the next morning.
“One star was still so high, their eyes were totally wild so they had to send them home.”
Every night the 100-strong cast were said to have enjoyed “a proper country knees up” after taking over local pubs in Tetbury and Bristol.
Their boozy antics led to Aidan Turner and Victoria Smurfit having “a late night dance off in the middle of the bar” one evening.
And the insider claimed flirting went into overdrive, with one actor having to beg his onscreen lover “to stop flirting because his marriage wouldn’t survive it”.
“Life very much imitates art when it comes to Rivals – and then some. Jilly Cooper could only dream of such scandal!” they added.
But the racy drama’s cast aren’t the only ones to have gone off the rails once the cameras stopped rolling – with claims of some orgies, supermodel-stuffed parties and two celebs “snogging like teenagers”.
GLADIATORS
With ultra-fit and muscle-strapped mountains as stars, it’s no wonder there was a lot of chemistry on Gladiators behind the scenes.
The original series, which spanned eight years until 2000, was notorious for naughty antics, and former star Michael Wilson, aka Cobra, claimed it was rife with sex.
He said Gladiators, show contestants and members of the public would bonk at the Holiday Inn, opposite where they filmed in Birmingham.
“There were orgies going on in the hotel, I was cheesed off – no one invited me,” he said.
And former Sun columnist Ulrika Jonsson, who presented the show, claimed the first series was the worst due to “loads of jumping from bed to bed” between Gladiators.
“It was bad enough for the producer and director to give them a reprimand,” she recalled.
“One female gladiator said, ‘You were f***ing five people! People were coming and going in your room last night’, and she replied: ‘No, only four’.”
And the American spin-off was just as bad, Jim ‘Laser’ Starr claimed they were “drinking every night” when they went on tour and the antics often became saucy.
“We had parties on that bus, strip tease competitions on that bus, groupies following us, girls flashing their chests,” he said.
STRICTLY COME DANCING
Forget about the notorious ‘Strictly Curse’, it’s the post-performance parties where it gets really wild – especially during Blackpool Week.
Their 2018 after-show booze-up was said to be the “wildest party ever” and saw the cast “not going to bed until breakfast time” having stayed up all night.
An onlooker claimed the shenanigans continued well past 5am, with lots of “shouting and hollering in the smoking area” and “booming music” that left locals “less than impressed”.
That same night, contestant Joe Sugg and pro dancer Dianne Buswell were allegedly “snogging like teenagers” after hooking up on the show.
And Craig Revel Horwood had “an angry exchange” with furious Aljaž Škorjanec, who had left the competition that night.
“It was carnage,” the onlooker said. “They really hit it hard and obviously had an amazing night – but people nearby were livid.”
Contestant Susannah Constantine confirmed the show’s reputation, telling how the pros “party like fiends” and relived their cheeky antics in a WhatsApp group that was “pure filth”.
And this year’s star Pete Wicks described getting “p***ed to the point that I don’t remember getting home” with other stars Wynne Evans and Jamie Borthwick, before declaring: “Party Pete was officially back.”
Back in 2016, pro dancer Gorka Márquez had two of his teeth broken in a random and unprovoked attack by a “group of louts” after entering a Blackpool nightclub while letting his hair down with the Strictly gang.
It was said the star, who doesn’t drink, “wasn’t angry…just more shaken” and had to retreat to his hotel before travelling to London the next day for urgent dental surgery.
For the last two years, to avoid further scandal Strictly banned all parties after the Blackpool show and now they are only allowed a few drinks at the hotel.
It led to slightly more civilised affair this year with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman seen necking shots from an £85-a-bottle tequila – but no other wild antics.
Parties on the Strictly tour are just as legendary. In 2023, after a date in Leeds, Helen Skelton and the Strictly crew had to take cover in an alleyway after a brawl between two groups of men erupted nearby
Glasses were brandished as weapons and bottles were thrown – one narrowly missed the Countryfile star, who “had to jump out of the way” and was left “shaken afterwards”.
That same year in Birmingham, an onlooker was gobsmacked by “tray after tray” of espresso martinis and jagerbomb shots being downed by the thirsty cast.
“I can’t believe how raucous it all became,” one insider said, before predicting the “real party atmosphere” would end with “a few sore heads in the morning”.
I’M A CELEBRITY
After measly rice and bean meals and stomach-churning tasks, it’s no wonder things tend to get a bit lairy at the I’m A Celebrity after party.
Back in 2018, when Harry Redknapp was crowned winner, the celebration “went on for ages” and it got “very rowdy with friends and family”.
A source said the cast got “really tipsy very quickly” having not drank throughout the show and had to be reminded by staff to keep the noise down after numerous complaints.
Photos show Emily Atack looking bleary eyed as she staggered out of the wrap party and John Barrowman poledancing on a large metal bollard outside.
It was such a boozy affair that “tipsy” presenter Holly Willoughby warned the This Morning team to hurry up their interview before she fell to the floor due to excessive boozing and was holding a Margarita onscreen.
It’s claimed Holly is often the life of the party – with Keith Lemon claiming to be unable to keep up with her and Kelly Brook calling her “wild”.
The glamour model added: “Holly would out drink Snoop no question. She’s good fun on a night out.”
Last year’s wrap party fared no differently. With the boozy bash leading to Georgia Jones, wife of series winner and McFly star Danny, belting out a Whitney Houston track and Oti Mabuse dancing with a mystery man.
Meanwhile Coleen Rooney’s dad Tony got so in the spirit that he threw himself across the floor while attempting to do a roly-poly.
CELEBRITY JUICE
To mark the end of Celebrity Juice’s 14-year TV stint which ended in 2022, they threw a big boozy bash, with some of their cheeky antics being shared online.
Laura Whitmore, Maya Jama and Emily Atack all lit up the dancefloor after a few drinks and at one point Keith Lemon was seen clutching two bottles of Budweiser.
Later that night, the boozed-up presenter performed a bizarre routine similar to a Russian squat dance, while cheered on by the revellers.
Meanwhile Joey Essex, who had been pictured snogging Emily backstage earlier in the day, was seen planting another kiss on her cheek.
