Courtney Act has spoken about her friendship with former ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ housemate Andrew Brady, saying she’s pleased they could help tackle stereotypes on screen.

The pair’s close bond was one of the biggest talking points of this year’s ‘CBB’, which Courtney says she’s particularly proud of, as she feels it’s good for people of different genders and sexualities still forming a strong friendship.

Speaking to Metro, Courtney – otherwise known as Shane Jenek – explained: “I think it’s really important to acknowledge that gay men and straight men can be friends.

“I think how me and Andrew convolute that clear message is that there’s a strange love triangle where he thinks Courtney’s hot and I think he’s hot, so it’s not like our attraction was removed from the equation. But we acknowledged that he’s not attracted to male-bodied people.”

She continued: “The thing that I like about where I am in my life – I’ve had straight friends, one who I was in love with for years, which wasn’t reciprocated, and that can very easily create a negative psychological impact where you’re reinforcing this idea that you’re unlovable, because you’re giving love to somebody and it’s not being returned. That can be really unhealthy.

“That was what my 20s were about – now I’m in my 30s, I’m wiser and I have the tools to understand what Andrew and my relationship is. Also, I’m validated because I don’t think my love for him is unrequited – we do love each other.”

Prior to her appearance on ‘CBB’, Courtney was best known for her appearance on the sixth series of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’, where she made it to the final, losing out to comedy queen Bianca Del Rio.

In her native Australia, Courtney found fame as a contestant on ‘Australian Idol’, and has since appeared on the MTV celebrity dating show ‘Single AF’.