X FACTOR legend Louis Walsh raked in a huge five figure sum just for showing up to a beauty store launch, the Sun can exclusively reveal.
The straight-talking Irishman, 71, reunited with his Celebrity Big Brother co-stars Ekin-Su Culculoglu and Bradley Riches for the BPerfect opening in Belfast.
There were no hard feelings between Louis and Ekin-Su after they clashed in the CCTV house.
Instead there were smiles, hugs and peace signs as they put the reality TV drama behind them.
A source said: “Louis has been away from the celeb party scene for a long time but he’s hot property now he’s been on CBB.
“He was paid a massive £12k just to show up last night. He got a huge fee for CBB, so it’s no surprise he can ask for loads.
READ MORE ON LOUIS WALSH
“Ekin was also there as an ambassador for the brand, so was showing Louis the ropes.”
The tidy sum is a nice addition to the near £850,000 he received for his weeks in Big Brother.
He previously admitted: “They paid me a lot of money.”
He added to the Irish Independent: “They said they really, really wanted me. They kept on at me, and still I said no, because I was scared. I don’t want to be a celebrity. It’s a fake world. I have no desire. I like music and staying under the radar. I still haven’t watched it. And I don’t want to.”
Most read in Celebrity
The wholesome reunion was all a far cry from the last time the pair were seen together on screens.
Ekin’s early exit from the show came after she dramatically turned on pal Louis by putting him up for eviction.
Despite the pair initially being good friends in the ITV reboot, Ekin-Su’s betrayal during face-to-face nominations led to her downfall.
She said at the time: “I just feel like Louis is a bit lazy and I prefer someone who is a team player.
“I would like him to be more practical with housework in the home. That’s why I want to nominate Louis.”
Her words were met with a frosty glare from the music manager.
But the 29-year-old marked the store opening by posting a video of their reunion, captioning it: “We get each other.”
In the short clip, Louis pretended to be meeting Ekin for the first time – and asks for her number.
She told him: “It’s 999” as they both burst out laughing.
The reunion was all the more surprising given Ekin has distanced herself from all things Big Brother after being voted out of the house.
She skipped the CBB final after being grilled by hosts Will Best and AJ Odudu on sister show Late and Live following her exit.
Studio guest Layton Williams also criticised her after she complained at being edited unfairly, despite not having seen the footage.
After her now show, she then revealed she would be taking a break from the spotlight.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Her ill-fated time on the reality show saw her slammed for her “flirty” antics towards co-star Nikita Kuzmin, 26, and her negative attitude when quizzed about her Love Island past.
However, last week she claimed to be “refreshed and recharged” and she now appears to be back on top.
