Book reveals dark side of Big Brother

A book by former Big Brother star Narinder Kaur has lifted the lid on the troubled lives of the contestants who appeared on the show.

Big Brother: The Inside Story even claims that Big Brother 6 resident Sam Heuston slashed her wrists after feeling that she could no longer cope with life outside the house.

"I grabbed a razor and cut myself in front of my dad," she tells the book. "Blood was all over my arm and dripping on the floor. The ambulance arrived and paramedics stemmed the bleeding. At the hospital I was diagnosed with severe depression, given stronger pills and referred for psychotherapy."

The 25-year-old's cry for help was in stark contrast to her first experiences of celebrity after being voted off the show. In the early days, she dated Blue singer Duncan James and enjoyed plenty of tabloid attention. But depression struck as her 15 minutes of fame subsided.

"The hype and the attention was amazing. Life was a huge high," she adds; but she soon became "down, lonely and hysterical."

She's not the only former Big Brother resident to have suffered after leaving the show. BB1 star Melanie Hill, now a trainee barrister, was forced to hire minders for two years after her appearance.

"One night I was chased after someone recognised me," she tells the book. "I was petrified and stopped going out."

Elsewhere, BB6 winner Anthony Hutton admits that he was "randomly punched" at a nightclub.

Big Brother 8 begins later this month.