Big Brother's first ever champion Craig Phillips issues stark warning to anyone hoping to join the show - as he reflects on the 'terrifying' aftermath of winning the series
But despite his fame and fortune, Craig Phillips has issued a stark warning to anyone wishing to follow in his footsteps and sign up for the show.
In a candid new interview with The Telegraph, the Liverpool native, 53, has advised people not to enter the famous abode, admitting that though he has no regrets, he 'wouldn't do it again.'
He told the publication: 'Over the years, people would stop me in the street and say, "I've applied for Big Brother; what advice would you give me?". And I would look at them and go, "Don't do it!"'
Amid his stint in the house, Craig's popularity soared when he confronted 'Nasty' Nick Bateman for passing covert notes to housemates to influence their votes, with the huge TV moment seeing Craig eventually crowned the show's first ever winner.
However, the reality of winning Big Brother wasn't as pleasant as he would have hoped, as he recalled the 'terrifying' aftermath of his victory that left him feeling like he'd been 'kidnapped'.
Craig explained: 'As soon as the live finale finished, I was driven away to a hotel with a police escort, as the press were chasing me. But no one was telling me what was going on. I felt like I was being kidnapped.
'It was terrifying. My knees were shaking. I felt vulnerable and panicky. It was not what I was expecting. All the things he [Brett Carr, the show's psychiatrist] was telling me were not sinking in. Then my cousin Steven arrived, and we sat up drinking until 8am. From there, it was straight to a press conference. Every time I moved, 50 flashbulbs went off.'
Craig and his fellow contestants had no idea just how huge Big Brother was going to be when they entered the famous house 25 years ago, with the show going on to become the benchmark for reality TV in years to come.
In the wake of his win, Craig was in huge demand, finding himself pestered by eager agents and making numerous appearances, with the builder not getting the chance to return to his home for a whopping 97 days.
Since finding fame on the show, Craig forced a successful TV career, appearing in numerous television shows including 60 Minute Makeover and Builders, Sweat and Tears.
However in recent years, that fame has declined, with Craig noting that he'd turned down many things over past seven or eight years as the money 'didn't justify' him doing that work.
Instead Craig, who now lives in Majorca with wife Laura and children Nelly, six, and Lennon, four, makes his money through property, public speaking and his lucrative YouTube channel Mr & Mrs DIY.
Looking back on his Big Brother experience, Craig notes that he and his fellow contestants were 'naïve', with the group having entered the house 'not really expecting much'.
He added that while in his Big Brother heyday there was no social media, nowadays contestants have to be 'strong' enough to deal with the criticism they may face from the public, remarking it's a 'dangerous position' to be in.
In a stark conclusion summing up the Big Brother experience, he concluded that fame and fortune 'do not go hand in hand'.
Meanwhile, back in December, Craig admitted he never had any ambition to work on TV or become famous.
When discussing what inspired him to originally go on the show, Craig said: 'My reasons behind it were I was collecting for Joanne Harris, who needed a heart and lung transplant, so we wanted to take her to America, we couldn't afford it.'
'But when I saw a documentary in Holland about Big Brother, and potentially it coming to the UK, and the winner would get £70,000, I thought well that will be a fantastic start to be raising a quarter of a million pounds for Joanne's appeal.'
'That was the only reason. I never ever had any ambition to ever work on TV or become famous in any way shape or form, I just kind of wanted to try and get the money really for Joanne.'
Craig, who starred in the first-ever series of the reality TV show in 2000, also revealed he hasn't watched his series as of yet but has vowed to one day sit down and watch it.
He said: 'I still haven't (watched my series). I've got all these tapes (VHS tapes) labelled up with all the different days on and I've vowed to myself that one day I'll sit down and watch them.'
'Because when I won Big Brother, I came out and I didn't go home for 97 days, I changed hotel every single night, and I kept thinking to myself it'll die down in a couple of months and I'll sit down and watch it.
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