As news of a Big Brother return is confirmed, the original winner of the reality TV series has issued a warning to those who want to apply for the show.
Liverpool-born Craig Phillips shot to fame back in 2000 when he appeared on the Channel 4 show and was eventually crowned the winner. Now aged 50, the TV personality, said he has been "inundated" with interview requests amid the news Big Brother is coming back.
The former labourer has issued some advice to those thinking of applying, as well as lifting the lid on what really happens after you leave the famous bungalow.
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Speaking on his Youtube channel, he said: "Quite a lot of the questions are coming back to the same thing 'are we ready for Big Brother to come back?'. And I think yes, we are, but there needs to be some big changes."
Craig explained he believes the housemates should be "normal people" and not hungry for "social media fame". He added: "I think we've got to go back to the basics, you can't change the formula very much."
Craig also said he made a point of contacting Big Brother winners in the years after his win to make sure they were okay and offer advice based on his experiences. He then issued a warning to anyone interested in applying for the 2023 series.
He said: "People used to come up to me and say 'Craig, I've applied for Big Brother, what advice can you give me?'. And I'd look at them and say 'don't do it'. But in fairness, that was when Big Brother started to decline.
"[Now], I would advise them to do it, [but only] if they have a good agenda. For me, I had a trade to fall back on so I didn't need TV."
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