Happy Monday's legend Bez went into the Celebrity Big Brother house unashamedly admitting he was in it for the money.
The Manchester maraca player had been declared bankrupt months before he signed up to the Channel 4 show and he was determined to use his fee - or even better the winnings - to pay off his mounting tax bills.
After seeing off the competition, Bez was handed a lifeline when the public unanimously voted him the victor of CBB 3.
On leaving the house a chuffed Bez told host Davina McCall: "Now I can just pay my bills and walk straight with no stress.
"I was in a great deal of trouble. Now I'm bailed out and I'm forever grateful."
Despite being £50,000 richer with numerous offers rolling in, the musician's money woes were far over.
Bez said the taxman took 'every penny' of his prize pot but that didn't stop him from blowing a significant portion himself.
One of Bez's prized possessions was his clapped out London black cab that he rescued from the scrap heap. After winning CBB he wasted little time in updating it and splurged a whopping £10,000 on a new engine and exhaust system for his motor.
He then appeared on MTV show Pimp My Ride with to give his beloved vehicle a more extreme makeover.
The taxi was transformed with 20 speakers, eight amps, two DVD players and fifteen TV screens. The TAXI sign on top was removed to make way for 'PIMP' and the exterior of the car was given a purple paint job.
Sadly, things didn't look quite as flashy in Bez's personal life.
The Inland Revenue filed a petition against Bez, real name Mark Berry, for a second time in 2008 - three years after his reality show appearance.
Speaking to Martin Lewis in 2013, Bez said winning Big Brother did him 'no good financially.'
"I managed to pay off a tax bill I had," said Bez, adding the tax man took 'every penny' from him.
"My problem is doing the paper work and such like. I just don't do it. I could actually pay somebody to do it. I could but I don't," he admitted.
Despite past problems with money, Bez revealed: "I don't actually worry about finance because, obviously being the person that I am, I always find a way to make a bit of Yankee Dolla when I need to."
Bez has since gone on to release more music and tour multiple times with the Happy Mondays.
He's also bagged a part on Celebrity Gogglebox alongside bandmate Shaun Ryder.
Ryder is no stranger to financial difficulty himself.
The Kinky Afro singer was taken to court by his former management company, who claimed he owed them £150,000.
Shaun insisted he had been stoned when he signed the contract so refused to pay the debt.
However, the court didn't agree and he was told to pay up - but after blowing his millions on the high life, he couldn't.
Shaun also took the difficult decision that he wouldn't declare himself bankrupt, which he says ended up costing him more than £4.5million.
*Big Brother: Best Shows Ever continues tonight at 9pm on E4
