Big Brother: Stars of classic show talk about their experiences

Big Brother stars Nikki Grahame, Imogen Thomas, Alison Hammond and Craig Phillips have discussed the reality series to celebrate its 20th anniversary. 

Nikki, 38, who appeared on series seven of the controversial show in 2006, has claimed that Love Island stars will never be ‘household names’ like they were.

While Imogen, 37, who soared to fame on the same season, admitted that the show has made dating ‘harder’ as suitors don’t want to be in the public eye.

Talking to Cosmopolitan UK, Nikki said: ‘Big Brother used to be a social experiment; nobody had a clue what to expect when they left. I was certain I was going to fall in love in there and I might get pictured in Heat magazine falling out of a club. 

‘I had no idea I’d get an agent. It was a complete whirlwind. On my first photoshoot they gave me a pair of shoes and a dress to keep and I didn’t understand it, but it made me feel quite special.’

The star went on to discuss how Love Island stars now make ‘crazy money’ in seconds but they will never be ‘household names’.

She added: ‘Now they come out of Love Island and have agents and an Instagram following – we didn’t even have Facebook when we left! 

‘Today’s [reality] stars make crazy money in seconds, but they’ll never be household names. You know what you’re getting yourself into when doing the show.’

During her time in the Big Brother house, Nikki dated fellow contestant Pete Bennett who went on to win the 2006 series. 

Discussing their high-profile and whirlwind romance, she continued: ‘I got to see a therapist for as long as I needed it, I spoke to one for about a year. 

‘I went into a reality show as an experiment and as a huge fan of the show, and got enormous success. When Pete and I broke up it was really hard.’

She added: ‘There are good and bad bits, but the ups outweigh the downs. People come up to me all the time and are always really nice. I’ve got a flat, and I don’t have to do a 9-5 job. 

‘But it’s refreshing to be somewhere you’re not recognised. My goal is to live in Australia and start again. I have no regrets; I’ve had the time of my life. Actually, I do have one: I would have won Big Brother.’

Meanwhile Imogen, who recently split from partner Adam Horsley, who she shares two children with – Ariana and Siera, spoke about how the show has affected her dating life with the magazine. 

She said: ‘It’s still nice to be recognised, and you miss it when it stops. It makes it harder with relationships as a lot of guys don’t want the attention that comes with dating me. 

‘But I have no regrets. I’m still really good friends with Nikki [Grahame] and we go on holiday together.’

Discussing how the show impacted her life, she added: ‘My life now is so different to the one I had growing up on a council estate. I’m really grateful for Big Brother. 

‘Before the show I was living off loans and an overdraft. After it, I was modelling and earning up to £70,000 a shoot. I invested it all in property because I knew then that things don’t last forever.’

Imogen also spoke about the instant fame that comes with Love Island, she continued: ‘If you don’t have a real talent, going on Love Island could be great, but it comes with a stigma – fame is hard. 

‘What are you going to do when you’re not wanted any more? Reality stars have a maximum of six months to “make it”. The depression comes once you’ve made a little bit of money and have to go back to a normal job.’  

Alison Hammond, 45, who has established a successful presenting career on This Morning since appearing on the show in 2002, told the magazine that she ‘wouldn’t change’ a thing.

She said: ‘I couldn’t change a thing because I think the fact that I was evicted after week two and I didn’t last until the end was all in the stars. I remember the producer of This Morning said that he never watched Big Brother and he watched my eviction tape. 

‘Now, if I had been evicted a little bit later down the line, he probably would never have seen my eviction tape, so I never would have got the job with This Morning and I never probably would have had the career that I had.

‘So, do you know what? I would change nothing. Maybe I’d be a little bit less crass. Sometimes I was a little bit crass, I’m not going to lie. 

‘I saw a video of me trumping. I wasn’t too keen on that, but you know, I was young. It’s one of those things. And do you know something? We all trump.’

While Craig Phillips, 48, who won the first ever series of Big Brother in 2000, admitted that he thought he would be at work the following week but instead didn’t return home for 97 days.

He told the magazine: ‘I thought, “If I get one local newspaper article out of it, then that’s good.” I really did think I’d be back on the building site the following Monday. 

‘But when I won, I was on the cover of every paper. I didn’t go home for 97 days. I had a police escort.’

Although Craig admitted he found the experience ‘lonely’ as he didn’t ‘feel like his friends were anywhere.’

He continued: ‘I had great mates before and I do now, but I was being chaperoned around by people paid to be there: drivers, bodyguards, press officers, managers. I didn’t feel like my friends were anywhere.

‘I had thousands of people wanting to meet me and making banners wherever I went, but I’ve never felt so lonely. I wanted all the hype to die down so I could see my family.

‘I’d had the opposite experience to [Nasty] Nick – the press were horrifically harsh to him. We were lured into a trap; it was manufactured and I know the pressures of that. 

I’m not a lover of reality TV now – Love Island is Big Brother on steroids. People who get a taste of fame want more, and the people who have too much don’t want it.’

E4 are showing classic episodes of Big Brother this week with Davina McCall and Rylan Clark-Neal hosting to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary. 

Read the full feature in the July issue of Cosmopolitan, on sale now.