Big Brother icon Helen Adams' dramatic new look and very different career

09 October 2023 , 07:30

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Big Brother icon Helen Adams' dramatic new look and very different career

Big Brother star Helen Adams was one of the legends of Big Brother from the show's heyday in the early noughties. Helen appeared on the show 22 years ago and won the hearts of the nation with her romance with fellow housemate, Paul Clarke.

Even after the series finished it seemed their love would go the distance but the pair split for good in 2006 and Helen now lives a very different life after shunning fame and returning to her roots. She was recently spotted filling up her car in Bristol, ahead of the shows big return this weekend.

The Welsh TV personality starred on the second ever series of the Big Brother all the way back 2001, quickly becoming a a fan favourite for her endearing catchphrases - or 'Helenisms' - such as "I love blinking, I do", making it to the final of the show. Helen, 45, was pictured at a local petrol station, looking casual yet stylish in an oversized T-shirt, leggings and trainers, paired with bug-eye sunglasses and her trademark bouncy blonde hair - even if a few shades darker than how she wore it on the show 22 years ago.

The Welsh TV star was spotted in a Bristol petrol station donning a sporty look (SplashNews.com)

The star was only 22 when she entered the Big Brother house in 2001 (Channel 4)

Helen was a hairdresser and only 22 years old when she stepped through the doors of Big Brother, becoming a household name due to her bubbly character and budding romance with fellow housemate Paul Clarke. She was crowned runner-up to Brian Dowling. Despite having entered the house in another relationship, Helen went on to date Paul for five years after the show. But while her TV career went from strength to strength, appearing on TV shows including Loose Women and Ready, Steady, Cook, the pair's relationship suffered.

After leaving the show Helen was in high demand and when the pair split in 2006, they attributed the breakdown of their relationship to the pressures of fame. Speaking to Heat magazine at the time, Paul said: "For the last five years, on a daily basis people have been asking me, 'how's Helen? When are you getting married?' and I've never met these people before in my life. It starts to drain you. It's not that I don't like talking about Helen, I just wanted to get away from it and be a private person again."

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Her career went from strength to strength after leaving the house (Press Association)

Helen still has her signature bouncy blonde hair all these years later (SplashNews.com)

And Helen added: "I felt like the Wicked Witch because I was first to say something. But then Paul said to me, 'would you want to marry me?' and I said, 'I don't think I would' and he said, 'well, I don't want to marry you either'. And we laughed." Helen is now believed to have returned to her hairdressing roots and lives a quiet life with her husband and children in Bristol.

The hit reality TV series Big Brother returned to our screens on Sunday and saw a brand new set of housemates enter the Big Brother house for six weeks for the first time in five years after the show was axed in 2018. Presenter AJ Odudu, 35 and Will Best, 38 will co-host the main show on ITV2 as well as a nightly discussion spin-off show where the pair will dissect all the juicy gossip. Speaking about hosting the hugely anticipated show AJ said: "I'm so excited to finally be able to say that, yes, I’m hosting Big Brother! I couldn't be happier."

Cecilia Adamou