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| Friday, 1 June, 2001, 14:17 GMT 15:17 UK Reality bites for original housemates Craig, Ainsley and Anna on a daytime cookery show The Big Brother bandwagon rolls on - but many of the original 11 entrants have faded from the spotlight. BBC News Online turns private detective and tracks them down. Craig A �500,000 five-album deal with Warner was trumpeted in the press - but he was dropped after his Christmas single, At This Time of Year, only reached number 14.
He is a DIY expert on Carlton's Renovation Street, and filled a similar role for the BBC's Housecall. Anna Anna's TV career is taking off too - she will soon be seen presenting two new TV series. One show - tentatively titled Anna in Wonderland - will let her meet unusual groups around the world in what has been described as a Louis Theroux-style documentary show. And in Closure, Anna and Davina McCall will attempt to right some wrongs by ending arguments, relationships, or anything that need closure. They are hoping Nick might appear to say sorry for his behaviour on Big Brother. Nick "Nasty" Nick Bateman is one of the most memorable of the original 11 - but whether that only means he will spend the rest of his life playing panto bad guys remains to be seen.
He presented the Trust Me game show for Channel 4 - but it was not a hit with viewers and will not be returning for another series. He is, though, set to star in gangster movie Hell To Pay with Ronnie Biggs' son Michael. Nichola Nichola's attempt at pop stardom stalled when her single, The Game, only reached number 72. She says a lot of other plans fell through, so she retreated to Hertfordshire to work on her first passion - clothes. A fashion collection of knitted clothes, which she describes as "quite theatrical", should be ready in time for Christmas. And there will also be several pieces made just of wire, like the dress she made in the Big Brother house.
"I'm going to go there and maybe do some arts, decorate the orphanage and work with the street kids," she said. Darren Darren has been seen presenting occasional Caribbean Cooking spots on ITV's This Morning, but the show's makers do not know whether he will return for the next series. He has also done presenting work for MTV Europe and The Disney Channel, and has been asked to work for the Carlton Food Network's Taste Today. A trip to Jamaica for Christian Aid to raise Aids awareness ended acrimoniously after he abruptly cut the trip short, blaming exhaustion. And he can be seen on the door of a Southend nightclub once a month. He is a celebrity bouncer at the Funk U club night at Zinc. Claire Claire and Tom announced that they are expecting a baby after getting together following the series.
She appeared in Jack And The Beanstalk with Eric Sykes at the Theatre Royal, Windsor, over Christmas. Tom Tom - named the sexiest man in Ireland in January - announced that he will give up life on the farm to pursue a career in acting and TV presenting. He has been made co-presenter of Town Challenge, BBC Northern Ireland's highest rating TV programme over the past five years. He has also taken a DJ course and has tried his hand at entertaining nightclub crowds. But he has kept his feet firmly on the ground. "Who knows, this time last year I was an office worker, maybe by this time next year I will be back there," he told BBC News Online. "Let's just say for the moment I am enjoying myself and take nothing for granted." Mel Mel has been sticking to the reality TV theme by presenting digital channel E4's Chained, which ended last month. The show featured one man constantly chained to five women, with one female thrown off the show each week, and E4 say it went down well and will "probably" come back for another series. She is also writing monthly travel features for Marie Claire magazine. Caroline After reportedly being broke and depressed after seeing how much other ex-housemates were earning, Caggy is about to unleash her brand of pop and dance music onto the world. She has been in the studio since Christmas recording a self-penned album, according to her agent. She is now looking for a record deal, and has spent a week as the Eye in the Sky traffic reporter for a range of Midlands-based radio stations. Andrew Andy went travelling in Australia after guest presenting Channel 5's showbusiness series Exclusive for eight programmes.
Sada Advert spots for Yahoo! followed her Big Brother exit, but Sada then fled the media frenzy to spend five months in South East Asia. She is now working on a number of books. One that has already been published, The Babe's Bible - offering "advice to the dazed and confused in the dating game" - could be turned into a TV show. She is also thinking about becoming an instructor in Pilates, a method of physical and mental conditioning. |
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