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JOSH'S FAKE 5-YR AFFAIR WITH GIRL
BIG BROTHER STAR'S GAY AGONY .. BY HIS LITTLE BRO

BIG Brother new boy Josh Rafter faked a five-year relationship with a beautiful Spanish girl to stop his parents finding out he was gay.

Josh, 32, was secretly dating health therapist Simon Hayes but fooled his family into thinking he was in love with a student friend called Carmen.

Simon even had his own pretend girlfriend to help the show's newest housemate hide the truth from parents John and Hazel.

Tormented Josh told his dad he was gay only three weeks ago to spare him finding out on TV.

Yesterday Josh replaced 6ft blonde English teacher Penny Ellis, 33, who was evicted from the House on Friday. Bookmakers Coral swiftly made him a 13-2 wildcard bet to win the show's pounds 70,000 prize.

Younger brother Brett, 29, told of the pain Josh endured to conceal his sexuality from his family.

"Josh had lots of girlfriends when he was younger - he used to bring them home and they were stunners. There were a couple of serious ones and they seemed smitten with him.

"It wasn't until his early 20s that Josh realised he was gay. But family matters most to him and for years he felt he had to live a lie.

"My dad's an old-fashioned man's man - I wouldn't even tell him about a tattoo I had.

"I also remember watching TV with Josh before I knew the truth and shouting out abuse when I saw two men kissing on the screen.

"He was obviously worried about telling us. So for years he had a girlfriend as cover who he'd bring round to family dinners.

"They were supposedly going out together when Josh was about 24 to 29. She was a Spanish student he met in Ibiza, bubbly and stunningly good-looking. They would hold hands but she was just a good friend in on the scam.

"Josh introduced Simon to us as a friend - I know now they were dating. Simon was a regular at the family home.

"He had his own model girlfriend who was also a cover. And because Josh had had a string of girlfriends and there was nothing camp about him, we didn't suspect anything."

Brett added: "Josh couldn't even tell us the truth about his job for a gay and lesbian housing bureau. All we knew was that he was in property management. Looking back, he must have gone through agony."

Josh told Brett he was gay five years ago after a drunken night out in Amman, Jordan, where their parents were living. But he swore his brother to secrecy for fear it would wreck his relationship with his family.

Josh had just started dating Simon - his boyfriend of six years. The pair split up last year and Josh is now single. But the Big Brother hopeful spoke about his gay secret to his dad only last month after dashing to Spain where his parents now live.

Project manager Brett, who lives in the bungalow in Addlestone, Surrey which the family still own, said: "Josh confided in my mum last summer and in fact she secretly told my dad six months ago.

"But as far as Josh was concerned, dad didn't have a clue until three weeks ago, just before he was whisked off to the Big Brother hideaway in Portugal.

"He knew his secret would come out on Big Brother and he didn't want dad finding out first on TV. If mum and dad had said his coming out on TV would tear the family apart, he wouldn't have done it. As it |was, no one hit the roof. Dad has accepted it totally."

At school in Addlestone, Josh - whose real name is Paul - was a model pupil and gifted sportsman. Brett said: "He excelled at everything. And as people will see from Big Brother, he's a people magnet who everyone seems to love.

"He had his first proper girlfriend when he was 15. She was a beauty too. There were a couple of others before he left home in his early twenties to live in London. Suzie was about 20 when he met her and he was into her in a big way. Another was an American called Kathy. She stayed with us - it wasn't until last year that she found out Josh was gay.

"She was smitten with him and shocked when he told her. I'm sure through no fault of his own Josh has left a trail of heartache." Brett was also a rock to Josh when overnight his brother lost his life savings.

In a promotional blurb for Big Brother, he claims to have made pounds 1million with pal Mark Redmond by running a promotions firm which helped organise annual Beetle car festivals. But 1996's Beetle event clashed with a crucial Euro 96 football match and attendance dived.

Brett said: "At 23, Josh had everything - a Porsche and a pounds 20,000 wardrobe full of clothes from designers such as Versace, Armani, John Richmond and Nick Coleman. He would turn heads with a pounds 2,500 Versace coat or pounds 200 waistcoats.

"He'd be out clubbing most nights, with the best champagne.

"But he ended up having to sell the Porsche, his office was repossessed and he had to take on the first job he found, shift work doing data cabling."

Josh is now slowly turning his fortunes around. He works for property management company Outlet in Soho's Old Compton Street and has moved into a pounds 150,000 flat near Kilburn, North London.

Brett said: "Friends and colleagues said he'd be superb on Big Brother and steamrollered him into it.

"I know he'll win - the only thing that could go wrong is that the men might feel threatened and gang up on him. But he'll be a definite hit with the women."

Josh's dad John, 56, said last night: "I just wish he'd told me sooner he was gay...it doesn't matter a jot to me."

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