Big Brother 'Darnell's an attention seeker,' says Craig

In his weekly chat with whatsontv.co.uk, Craig Phillips - the first Big Brother winner and star of ITV1's 60 Minute Makeover - says that Darnell may have pulled his last stunt

Was Luke the right housemate to be evicted on Friday night?
“His candle blew out when Rebecca left the house the week before and he just didn't return to his usual self. It's a shame. I haven't seen anyone in the house pining over him or missing him though.”

What do you think about Big Brother bringing Nicole into the house?
"I think it's a bit unfair on the other housemates to bring Rex's girlfriend in. It's given Rex a real lift now to have the support of someone there who loves him. I know when I was in Big Brother, to have a friend or girlfriend come in the house, it would have given us a lift of energy to take you right through."

The interview continues below...



Rex seemed to be coping perfectly well on his own...
"They're at the halfway point now now and they're all going to be struggling. You could see how emotional they were getting when they were reading their letters from home. Having Nicole in the house could dilute any bonds that Rex has with the other housemates, who will nominate him. And then the public will want to split him and Nicole up by voting him out."

That's inside the house. But do you think that the viewers will have seen Rex's sensitive side?
"We have seen a different side to Rex since Nicole arrived, but when he got to watch his audition VT and they'd focused on the bling, he told everyone that they'd shown him in his true light. I'd have been embarrassed. Although, he could just have been trying to have another dig at Rachel, as if to say what you see is what you get!"

What do you make of Rachel as Head of House?
"It was an honourable thing she did with the letters; letting the hell housemates have their letters rather than take her own. Whether she did it to please the viewers or not I don't know but you can become a selfish person in there. At the halfway stage, they'll be struggling and any boost will help you so you'll want to take it. They put her in a real awkward position there. And she didn't come out and tell people what she did either - that will work in her favour."

Do you think Rachel will come out of herself now?
"Well, a lot of that is down to how the show is edited. When I was in the house, people said that, for the first four weeks, I was sleeping all the time. In fact, I was sleeping the same as everyone else but that's the footage they chose to show. Then for the last few weeks, everyone said I'd come out of my shell, but it was no different for me."

What did you make of the whole Darnell and Sara situation?
"When Darnell and Sara were sparring in the bedroom and it came across all wrong, he acted a bit immature, getting embarrassed and not wanting to talk about it. I think he feels a bit unloved. When he climbed over the divide, I think that's attention seeking. He's not getting the attention in there that he craves, so he tries to pull stunts like that. I think Darnell and Rex will be up for nomination this week. And I'll put money on Darnell to go."