Big Brother star recalls brakes failing with wife and children in car
Big Brother winner Craig Phillips, 52, thought he was going to kill his wife and two children.
The TV star – who won the first ever series of Big Brother – had revealed how he was left fearing the worst when the brakes stopped working in his car while his wife and two young children were with him. Craig was behind the wheel of his £76,000 Jaguar I-Pace at the time.
He explained that the terrifying incident took place just days after his vehicle was returned from the manufacturer for a different issue. Craig recalled the moment he realised he was unable to use his brakes as he approached a red light with two cars in front of him and oncoming traffic in the opposite lane.
Craig was travelling with his wife Laura Sherriff, 37, and his two young children aged three and five as the family headed out for a meal on New Year's Eve. "I can't describe to you what a terrifying feeling that was when the two children are in the back. The more I pushed down, the more it forced up, and the car carried on rolling," he said.
Craig was terrified when his brakes failed with his wife and children in the car (Instagram)Craig explained that he was extremely lucky that they lights changed from red to green and the two cars in front pulled away before his vehicle collided with them. "Otherwise I would have collided with them," he told MailOnline.
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"There was no way of stopping. I had no options, I either mount the curb, run into the back of them or go into the lane coming towards me." Craig explained that he had recently had his car repaired and returned home to him in Rainhill, Merseyside, over Christmas.
He had driven the car "50 or 60 miles" following the repair before taking out his family on New Year's Eve. Craig revealed he was fortunate to have already slowed down from around 40mph to 20mph as he approached the red light.
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"I forced my whole body weight on it. And it was pushing me up. I've driven for 30-odd years, and I've driven many old vans where the brakes have gone," he added. Craig explained that normally if a break fails, "it's the hydraulics that have seized or the hydraulic pipe burst and you can still physically push down on the brake very hard" which would then slow the vehicle down and stop it.
But, in his instance, the opposite was happening and it felt as if Craig's foot was being pushed up. The Big Brother winner returned home and immediately contacted Jaguar, asking for the vehicle to be collected, but felt he was "being fobbed off" when they told me they didn't provide this service.
Craig was told fixing the Jaguar would cost him £210 to diagnose because his warranty had expired after three years but the Big Brother winner hit back by refusing to pay. He has now been told his car is ready for collection but he and his wife have refused it.
A Jaguar Land Rover spokesman told the Mirror: "We are taking these claims by Mr Phillips very seriously and are looking into his complaint. Our client experience as well as the safety of our clients and vehicles is JLR's highest priority."
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