Big Brother veteran Reggie Bird admits the $250,000 prize money from her winning season is ‘all gone’ as she prepares to return to the house
Reggie Bird has endured her fair share of hardships since winning Big Brother Australia in 2003.
And the 48-year-old has now revealed she no longer has any of the $250,000 prize money left from her triumphant season.
The mother of two made the admission that her paycheck was ‘all gone’ during an interview with The Daily Telegraph on Friday.
Hard road: Reggie Bird (pictured) has revealed she no longer has any of the $250,000 prize money left from her winning season in 2003
She also revealed her main motivation for returning for the 2022 season of the show was to provide for her children.
‘I’ve got to do this for my kids,’ said Reggie, who is mother to daughter Mia, 15, and son Lucas, 12.
Lucas suffers from has cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disorder that affects the lungs and digestive system.
Gone: The mother of two made the admission that her paycheck was ‘all gone’ during an interview with The Daily Telegraph on Friday. (Pictured after winning Big Brother in July 2003)
The frank disclosure comes after Reggie recently appeared in a new trailer for the forthcoming season.
In it, the former winner reveals she’s still the same person that viewers fell in love with years ago.
Reggie explains she was ‘a little Aussie battler’ when she first appeared on Big Brother and that ‘related to a lot of people’.
Back: Reggie will return to Big Brother Australia this year. In a new trailer, the former winner reveals she’s still the same person that viewers fell in love with years ago
She also touched on her battle with retinitis pigmentosa, which she has had for decades and is causing her to slowly go blind.
An emotional Reggie teared up as she explained she no longer has peripheral or night vision, and could ‘wake up tomorrow’ without any sight left.
‘This may be a new game, but I’m still the same old Reggie. I’m still a fighter, I’m still a battler,’ she added.
Hard: She touched on her battle with retinitis pigmentosa, which she has had for decades and is causing her to slowly go blind
Battle: An emotional Reggie teared up as she explained she no longer has peripheral or night vision, and could ‘wake up tomorrow’ without any sight left
Reggie won Big Brother Australia’s third season in 2003 and walked away with the $250,000 prize money.
She is reportedly being ‘paid peanuts’ to appear on the new season on Channel Seven, receiving $170 a day rather than an up-front fee.
According to New Idea, Reggie was given just two days to decide if she wanted to take part in the series, adding: ‘It seems she’s been taken for a ride.
Returning champion: ‘This may be a new game, but I’m still the same old Reggie. I’m still a fighter, I’m still a battler,’ she added. (Pictured alongside Tim Dormer)
Comeback: Reggie won Big Brother Australia’s third season in 2003 and walked away with the $250,000 prize money
‘Her return to the Big Brother house was meant to signal better times. Here’s hoping she wins again!’
Of course, should she win the 2022 season she’d walk away with another $250,000.
The upcoming season, which was filmed late last year, will see memorable housemates from the past 20 years compete against 12 newcomers.
Not much? Reggie is reportedly being ‘paid peanuts’ to appear on the new season of Big Brother on Channel Seven, receiving $170 a day rather than an up-front fee