’s career is going stratospheric right now, with the much-loved TV star winning rave reviews in her latest role
it’s easy to forget that she first found fame as a Big Brother housemate, putting in a short-lived but memorable appearance on the civilian edition of the show.
With that show due to return this weekend for its– on ITV2 – let’s remind ourselves of the stint that catapulted Alison to stardom.
Just when was she on Big Brother – and how long did she last in the house?
When was Alison Hammond on Big Brother?
Alison Hammond appeared on series 3 of Big Brother, which aired on Channel 4 in 2002.
She appeared on the same series of the show as the late Jade Goody, as well as Radio 1 DJ Adele Roberts, and TV and radio host Kate Lawler – the eventual series winner.
Alison described herself in her audition video as being addicted to Vaseline – which she used to keep her lips moisturised – and described ‘not being able to eat Chinese food’ as the only thing she gets angry about.
She also revealed that she was a Harry Potter fan who would ultimately like to own her own clothes shop.
How long was Alison Hammond in the Big Brother house?
While Alison may be one of the biggest stars to emerge from civilian Big Brother, she didn’t last that long as a housemate.
In fact she was evicted just 15 days into the series, in one of the closest public votes of all time – with just over 1,000 votes separating her and fellow nominee Alex Sibley.
Although Alison only spent a short time in the house it was long enough for her to generate some memorable moments.
Perhaps most notable was the incident which saw her breaking the garden table after she jumped up and down on it to try and make contact with the outside world – for which she was later reprimanded.
She and Kate Lawler also ran into trouble with Big Brother for discussing nominations.
Looking back on her time in the house, Alison admitted she ended up applying at a time when she was struggling financially – having previously worked as a holiday rep, at British Gas and in a cinema.
‘Everyone kept saying: ‘You should go into Big Brother,” she told host Lorraine Kelly. ‘At the time, I was £4,000 in debt. I went into an internet café to apply online.’
Although she didn’t last long on the show, her appearance caught the eye of a This Morning producer, who offered her a reporter’s job – and the rest is history.
The Great British Bake Off is on Channel 4 on Tuesday night at 8pm. Big Brother starts on ITV and ITV2 on Sunday October 8 at 9pm.
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