Big Brother, proudly sponsored by BoyleSports Games, is now in full swing and ahead of the upcoming evictions we caught up with Orlaith McAllister.
The Belfast native, who entered the Big Brother 6 house in 2005 via the famous ‘Secret Garden ', reflects on her time in the show and her life since.
From her bold confidence entering the house as a young model to the friendships she formed inside, Orlaith shares with us what she learned during her time on the hit reality TV show.
She also talks about how social media has changed reality TV and what it’s like still being recognised in public nearly 20 years later.
What I Learned From Big Brother Experience
That life goes on so quickly. Like 20 years, time has flown by. It was an incredible journey, an incredible journey and I wouldn't change it at all. I loved every minute of it as a young - well, I thought I was young but I was like an older one - I was 25 when I went in and I didn't have anything, any life lessons. I was just young, free and single and didn't think of the future, didn't think that one day I'm going to be 45 you know, it's amazing. I love that it’s back, it’s Big Brother and it was the platform for reality.
I watched the very first one and I remember saying to my friend at the time, ‘I'm going to be on that show’. I just loved the whole concept of it and still do and I think the relevance today of it with social media, with the way that the world has changed in 20 years, it’s just incredible that it's there.
I was so fortunate that social media wasn't around in my day. So fortunate and so happy for that. But I think now that social media is hopefully turning around in a more positive light for reality TV contestants because of all the so many horrible things that have happened to celebrities and reality TV contestants over the years. We bring social interaction in the family home, reality TV, brings that. You sit down with the family and you watch it . Don't criticise those people that are on it when they are bringing your entertainment.
Going Into Big Brother Wasn’t Scary For Me – I Was ‘Miss Confident’ Then
I was just so confident back then, I was Miss Confident. I had done beauty pageants before, I was a model here in Belfast, so I was excited, like I didn't know.
I honestly just wanted a platform for my modelling career. I wanted to, but I had no other plan, no other foreseeable things that would happen, how it would take off. Nothing.
Like I really just grasped it all and I just wanted to do it. It was an amazing experience for a 25-year-old from Belfast. It was great and I really loved it.
I Stay In Contact With Old Big Brother Pals Through Social Media
Through social media I pop the odd wee message when I see someone's story, like Imogen Thomas. Makosi, we would send maybe the odd message on WhatsApp, we would be quite friendly.
I suppose I look back and go like we're that type of family that bonded through that experience. We're the only ones who know what we had to go through and what life was like after and how we were treated and only we know that.
It's hard to describe to people. It’s hard, there are times that you're sitting talking about it and people don't get it, they think you just lived in a house and it was easy. But it was challenging. You're living in a house with absolutely random people but you come together and you grow up.
Like Anthony Hutton, we send the odd message to each other and I touch base with Craig the odd time. I love seeing the journeys people are on and the older that we're getting, the more exciting it is, I think.
I think it's great and I think that it's great also that we're just doing our own thing and on our own path. Like I work full time now and I absolutely love my job. You know, life in my twenties was just absolutely amazing. Life in my forties is even more amazing. It's great, it just balances out.
‘I Didn’t Know How To Deal With Derek’
I am a little bit sad about it [the relationship with Derek]. Derek was and is, well, he was lovely. I suppose things are condensed down to just a little bit of what's shown in the 24 hours that we're living in the house.
I think Derek played up to the mass of the others in the house and who doesn't love a b***h, you know? So it was, I suppose, me coming in halfway as well, maybe kind of got their backup and I was the girl from Northern Ireland, was this Irish blonde coming in and mixing things up. I'm another target, I could win the show. I suppose that was a threat to him as well in a way.
I didn't know how to deal with him. I could only deal with him in the nice way that Derek came across when there was the b***hiness and I think he just overtook control and didn't see me as a proper housemate. But I look back at it now and I’m like, it was a wee bit childish on my part and his part because I think we would have got on extremely well if we'd have given each other the chance. But everyone was lovely, when I look back on it now, there are times when I’m like ‘wow’. It was great, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Big Brother Fans Still Recognise Me Almost 20 Years Later
If someone recognises me, oh my God, we're never going to hear the end of this. You know, nearly 20 years on and still being recognized.
My family makes a joke out of me and are like, ‘she thinks she's a celebrity’. Like, no, I don't. I work full-time. But it is, it's funny like we would have a laugh. My husband thinks it's hilarious. He's like, ‘Oh, my gosh, she’s going to get an even bigger head now that someone has recognised her and wants a photo with her. Here we go again.’ We just laugh about it and it's lovely that they haven't had any backlash.
There's been no backlash, of any of it. So it's brilliant. But I suppose in a way my family have lived their life outside of the spotlight and that has been great for them because I couldn't think of anything worse than having them and throwing out their lives and who they are and their identities and all of that. It would be so difficult. I'm not cool to get a photo with!
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