He came to us straight outta Dudley (via Los Angeles) and now Adam Kelly's wandering through the front door of the Big Brother compound, claiming second place.

Striding in on launch night without any fear, Adam was initially accepted across the board by his fellow housemates. He formed a fond friendship with Shievonne, which threatened to spill over into a mild romance after he took her on a date (scuppered only by the fact BB had forced him to wear enormous papier mache hands for the occasion). Sadly this partnership was doomed the evening that Adam jokingly (and slightly awkwardly) proposed marriage to the former Playboy Playmate. His actions triggered a bad reaction from his newfound pal, and their relationship rapidly degenerated.

After a couple of rows with Shievonne, Adam's copy-book was slightly blotted and this made him vulnerable. He managed to get on the wrong side of resident gossip, Caroline, and was shuffled over to the Outsiders’ camp the moment the schism between those on the Inside and those on the Outside developed.

That's not to say Adam was ousted and beaten down from that point on. In The Outsiders camp he developed some of the closest friendships in the House. Firstly, there was his platonic relationship with Lauren, which provided some of the most heart-warming scenes in the series. His bromance with Luke A was a great watch, with the two of them offering a running commentary on House developments that was often so on point that it echoed exactly what the bulk of the audience were saying. And then, latterly, there was his friendship with Deana. Adam had always stuck up for The Outsiders’ outsider, and he eventually cemented his firm friendship with her and Luke A, after Lauren left a lady-shaped gap in the gang's dynamic.

The trio formed a gang jokingly dubbed 'The Soldiers' after Lauren's departure, and most of their evenings were spent putting the world to rights in the smoking area or the pool. He acted as  a good foil for Deana, often coming across like a Big Brother who brought her down when her latest campaign was on fire, advising her when to rein it in and, when it came to Luke A, he was the best BB buddy the man from Mold could have hoped to have met.

We salute Adam for many reasons. His wisdom often echoed like a pure current over the rumbling rows and remonstrations in the House. His gnomic responses when asked to comment on any disputes or disagreements often managed to capture the absurdity of all that was going on around him. He offered brilliant, reassuring advice when his pals were down in the mouth and he even led meditation sessions when he and his fellow soldiers were getting lost in a sea of doubt.

He was a tower of strength to those who were on his wavelength. As for the others, he'd 'kill them with kindness' rather than get himself embroiled in the latest screaming match - and that’s why we loved the big guy from Dudley.