WithBig Brother setto return after five years off air, a whole new host of contestants will experience life isolated from the outside worldin the famous house.

Throughout the show’s 18-year history on our screens, Big Brother brought us plenty of iconic moments andintroduced us to some memorable personalities. Here, former contestant Sophie Reade, who won the show in 2009, talks to OK! about her own experience on the show…

“Growing up, I watched Jade Goody on Big Brother and thought I’d apply as soon as I was old enough. However, it was only when I was 20 and one of my brothers told me to audition that I drove 170 miles from Cheshire to Newcastle at the last minute to try my chances.

Months went by without any news, so I gave up hope. But that’s when I got a call out of the blue. Suddenly I was saying goodbye to my mum and telling her that I’d be happy getting to the six-week mark. I never went to university, so I thought being in the Big Brother house would give me a summer of fun where I’d be able to be carefree and not worry about a thing.

I never expected to win, and thought Siavash Sabbaghpour would get the crown.

From the minute I left the house, my life was a whirlwind and my glamour modelling career went from strength to strength. The day after leaving the house, I was doing a photo shoot with a huge hangover. I think I worked every day for three months straight.

I used my money to buy designer clothes and bags and I moved down to London for work. However, I didn’t really like being in the city so I moved back up north after six months.

Because of my glamour modelling, I got to attend lots of different events and was even invited to the Playboy Mansion in LA. Meanwhile, I partied at other events with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Chris Brown. It was surreal.

While I was happy seeing my career excel, I didn’t like the fame. It felt like I’d been thrown into the wild. When people approached me in public, I never really knew what to say. Even to this day, people call me “Dogface” because I changed my name to that during a challenge.

Big Brother was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I enjoyed it, but there were times when I just wanted it to stop. I felt very lonely in the house, so it was easy to strike up a romance when my housemate Kris Donnelly paid me some attention.

Being on Big Brother is like being part of an elite member’s club. I’d be a completely different person if I were to do the show again – I’d be very boring!”

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