Alex Reid compares himself to Nigel Farage as he plots ITV Big Brother comeback
Alex Reid is up for another stay in the Big Brother house when the celebrity version of the ITV2 show returns next year.
The media personality, who won Channel 4's 7th and final series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2010, says his time in the famous house was "one of the fondest moments" of his life" and is ready to do it all again 14 years on from being crowned champion to show viewers how much he has changed.
Katie Price's ex-husband, 48, compares his Big Brother victory to Nigel Farage's recent controversial dalliance with reality TV, with the former Brexit Party leader, 59, securing a rumoured £1.5million from ITV in exchange for appearing on this year's series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!
"I would love to return to the Big Brother house next year; I think it would be a great experience, and my time in the house was one of the fondest moments of my life," Alex says when discussing the ITV reboot of the iconic reality TV series. "I have three fond moments in my life, the first obviously being the birth of my children, the second being a big fight I was a part of; while I didn’t win, I won in so many other ways, as from that fight, I was trending around the world, and the third was winning Big Brother."
Alex Reid was married to Katie Price when he won Celebrity Big Brother in 2010 (REX/Shutterstock)Alex, who shares daughter Dolly, 11, with fellow Celebrity Big Brother winner Chantelle Houghton, goes on to say: "I was very different back then, and it’s taken me 45 years to discover that I have autism. Without sounding like I’m playing the victim card, I was so manipulated because I trusted everyone, and that got me into so much trouble. Now I have my autism diagnosis, I understand myself so much more, and I’m a very different person. I’m now a teacher and I coach other people, so I’ve had to learn how to understand myself before I can help others."
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The former Hollyoaks actor continues to tell BetFred how his Big Brother experience back in 2010 was similar to Farage's recent stint in the Australian jungle, as he admits he would be up for entering the Big Brother once again when the celebrity version of the series returns next year.
"The night I won Big Brother was such an amazing night, not only did I make my family proud, but I made myself proud, too," Alex recalls. "Before entering the house, I doubted myself so much to the point where I didn’t want to go in because I didn’t want to be famous for being famous. However, I was so unpopular at the time, I was on 41/1 odds to win, so I felt like I had to go on to prove everyone wrong.
"I like to compare my journey on Big Brother to Nigel Farage. When he went into the jungle on I’m a Celebrity this year, nobody liked him or understood him, but even though he didn’t win, he left a winner in my eyes as he showed everyone who he truly was and managed to win so many people over."
He continues to muse: "When you enter shows such as I’m a Celebrity or Big Brother, you can’t put on a mask for four weeks; at some point, your mask will slip, and the public will see the real you. Even with all the fanciest editing in the world, at some point they’ll see you for who you truly are. That aspect was so great for me as people got to see the real me.
"The nostalgia part is great; it’s fun, and I joke about being away from my children for four weeks, but it’s still difficult being separated from them for so long, so it’s like a juxtaposition. However, I primarily want to go back because I’m a different person now. I didn’t understand myself back then, and I’m a different human being to who I was 13 years ago when I won the competition. Of course, there still are many similarities in my life to the person I was back then, but I’m bigger and better, and I’m keen to show people what I’m all about now."
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