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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Vicki Newman

Big Brother's first ever winner Craig Phillips hasn't aged a day in 22 years

Big Brother 's first ever winner Craig Phillips has barely aged a day in the last 22 years.

The builder rose to fame on the reality show in 2000, going on to be crowned the first champion of the hit reality show.

Now aged 50, people tuning into today's Steph's Packed Lunch on Channel 4 could be forgiven for thinking he'd been frozen in time.

One fan of the show took to Twitter to say that Craig "now looks like Richard Bacon", but aside from his stylish spectacles and a bit of grey around the edges, Craig has hardly changed since his days in the famous house.

This week has seen a string of Big Brother stars compete in a cooking contest on the show.

Following the likes of Anthony Hutton and Kate Lawler, Craig took his turn in the kitchen today to make a Welsh rarebit.

After clips of him confronting Nasty Nick over his plot to influence evictions, Craig told Steph: "I did [hate] him at the time, yeah. It really upset us all.

"We'd become good, close friends in there. It was a packed house and we were under a lot of pressure and we were making plans to be friends outside and go places and do things."

He was the show's first ever winner (PA)

Craig said he did end up becoming Nick's friend on the outside, adding: "Believe it or not, I ended up with a key to his house for 12 months. I didn't live with him, just to clarify. I rented a room just to store some clothes and things in while I was travelling around."

Craig had shared his excitement about being on the show before he went live, sharing a snap of himself behind the kitchen counter.

Craig was on the show on 2000 (Mirrorpix)
He still looks exactly the same (Eyevine)

He penned: "I'm going to be appearing on @packedlunchc4 this afternoon on Channel 4 from 12:15 to 13:30pm, as I have teamed up with @nationwidebuildingsociety to raise awareness of protection out there to support the self-employed if you find yourself signed off work.

"Working in the manual trade, Im no stranger to injuries that can sideline me from doing my job, and it seems with time off comes the inevitable stress of losing out financially. Almost a quarter of business owners would worry that their business would fold if they had to take time off for being sick or injured and I know that I felt the pressure of this too – no work, no pay, right?

"It’s so easy to put our health on the back burner and focus fully on the business, but now knowing there is a way that I can put my health first without the financial stress is a huge weight lifted from my shoulders.

"As well as appearing on Steph's Packed Lunch today, I will also be appearing on @bfbsradio from 11:30 to 11:45am and @bbcradionewcastle from 8:30 to 8:45pm, so don't forget to tune in!"

Craig signed up for Big Brother back in the day to raise money to help his friend Joanne Harri, who had Down's Syndrome, who needed a heart and lung transplant.

He's continued to work with and support charities ever since.

* Steph's Packed Lunch airs weekdays from 12.30pm on Channel 4

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