Mayor of Ronda village confirms participation in Spain's Big Brother VIP reality show

Ortega, who has been mayor of this small village in the Genal Valley since 2019, has taken this step after stating three weeks ago, when asked if she was going to take part in this television programme, that although she had received offers from television channels, "for the time being" she was not going to take part and that "I haven't confirmed or signed anything". Despite her statements, this newspaper decided to publish the information that she was one of the candidates because it had been fully confirmed that she had not turned down the offer.

The councillor went on to explain that, after giving it careful thought - because "it was a very difficult decision for me to make" - she has decided to enter the Big Brother house as a way of raising the profile of small towns and combating depopulation.

"My arrival at the house could benefit my village and similar villages facing problems of depopulation and a lack of resources, because we've been forgotten. It's a way of raising awareness," she said in an interview with Vamos a Ver, the Telecinco programme where it was announced that she will be the fifth contestant on GH Vip, alongside Karmele Marchante, Pipi Estrada, Arturo Requejo and Paloma González, who have also been confirmed.

Katrin Ortega stated that she is not a politician but the mayor of Parauta and that she will not step down from her post while taking part in the programme.

"I'm keeping my position as mayor, and God willing, for a long time to come," she said, adding that while in the house she would not be engaging in politics but would instead be "competing, enjoying the experience, doing my best and putting my heart into it".

Ortega has been mayor of Parauta since 2019, when she stood as a candidate on the PSOE list, and in the 2023 elections she was re-elected after securing all seven seats on the council of the Serranía de Ronda village. In that election, she secured 156 votes, representing 88.14 per cent of the votes cast, which was the highest percentage of support achieved by a councillor in Spain in those elections; only 19 voters did not support her, opting instead for the PP.

On 20 October, it emerged that Ortega had requested to be removed from the PSOE's membership . "I do not identify with any national political party," she stated at the time, adding that she did not need a traditional party to continue her political work.

The aim of the new contestant on Gran Hermano VIP is to stand in the local elections in May 2027 as part of an independent group called Unidos Parauta Avanza, as this is the best way to "continue working" for Parauta and its residents.

The councillor has now joined the group of non-affiliated councillors at Parauta town hall, as have the other two councillors who left the PSOE at the same time as her, Juan Jesús Sánchez and Adelaida Becerra, while the other four councillors in her governing team were elected on the PSOE list as independents and were therefore not members of the party.

Katrin Ortega is very active on social media and, beyond her role as a councillor, her Instagram account (@kat.ortma) reveals a carefully curated visual showcase where local government coexists with glamour, luxury events and 'Instagrammer'-style photo shoots.