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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Katie Wilson

Big Brother legend Nadia Almada looks unrecognisable nearly 20 years after winning show

Big Brother star Nadia Almada looks so different almost 20 years on from winning the Channel 4 reality show.

The now 46-year-old was spotted in Surrey this week wearing a chic blue and white pinstripe shirt dress and black wedge heels which she teamed with a black clutch bag.

Showing off a dramatic new look compared to her Big Brother days, Nadia’s long dark hair has now been dyed blonde.

And she seemed to be rocking chic laminated eyebrows and expertly manicured nails with red varnish on.

Viewers will remember Nadia, from Woking, Surrey, as the first transgender housemate on Big Brother UK.

Starring in the fifth series alongside Michelle Bass, who became famous for calling everyone ‘chicken’ on the show, Nadia went on to win the final.

Nadia looked very different 20 years on as she was spotted in Surrey (SplashNews.com)
She looked chic in a pinstripe dress and wedge heels (SplashNews.com)

But Portuguese-born Nadia kept her past a secret from housemates, choosing to tell her fellow contestants about her sex change operation in her own time.

Since appearing on the show she has been praised for being one of the first people to get trans rights in front of the mainstream.

Describing her time on her show as “life-changing” she told The Guardian when she won: “I felt so flattered. I could die tomorrow and be a very happy person.

“I just feel so comfortable. If you’d seen me six months ago, I wouldn’t have been comfortable with pictures of me as I was before. Big Brother really changed me.”

The reality star recently dyed her dark hair blonde (SplashNews.com)
Nadia is now 46 and believed to be working as a hair stylist (SplashNews.com)

Born Jorge Almada on the Portuguese island of Madeira, Nadia was the eldest of six sons.

When she was 11 the family emigrated to South Africa but when she was 16, her mother left her father and they moved back to Madeira.

From being a little boy, Nadia said she always felt something “wasn’t quite right” and became even more confused when she hit puberty.

At first she thought she was gay, but then realised she wanted to be with a man who saw her as a woman.

Aged 19, Nadia moved to the UK and started to feel more comfortable in her true herself when she began living as a woman in Brighton.

After having breast surgery and taking hormone tablets, she had full surgery to become a woman just a few months before entering the Big Brother house.

Nadia won the fifth series of Big Brother back in 2004 (Getty Images)

Since winning the show, she tried her shot at a music career releasing the song ‘A Little Bit Of Action’, which readed number 27 in the UK charts.

She has also had a cameo in Hollyoaks, appeared on Big Brother Australia and Ultimate Big Brother and a special Big Brother winner episode of Come Dine With Me.

Although she found fame, Nadia has embarked on a career as a hair stylist and was last known to be working in a salon in London’s Covent Garden.

Although over on her Instagram page, which has 12,000 followers, there appears to be a link to an OnlyFans account.

After Big Brother ended in 2018, fans were excited to hear the reality show which launched the careers of greats such as Alison Hammond, Kate Lawler and Brian Dowling is getting a reboot.

Presenters AJ Odudu and Will Best are reportedly set to host the new show, which will air on ITV this time.

A source told The Sun: "AJ has known since last year the Big Brother job was hers but she’s been waiting for her co-host to be confirmed. AJ and Will did a brilliant screen test together and their chemistry was brilliant. It was a no-brainer.

"They are great friends too so to be able to work together is really exciting. They could not be more excited about joining forces to bring back Big Brother. AJ and Will are going to be formally announced by ITV really soon and they can’t wait to get stuck in."

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