Big Brother was the king of reality shows after its launch in 2000, making huge stars of housemates who were branded heroes or villains for their behaviour.

The fly-on-the-wall social experiment ran for 11 series at Channel 4, before making its way over to Channel 5 where it was cancelled in 2018 after a further eight series and later snapped up by ITV2 for a 2023 return after a five-year hiatus.

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Big Brother has also spawned spin-offs including Teen Big Brother, Ultimate Big Brother and the hugely popular Celebrity Big Brother, but there have been 19 winners of the main series so far - we take a look at who they are and what they're doing now.

All the Big Brother winners so far

Series 1 Craig Phillips (2000)

The show's first ever winner set the standard for Big Brother champions by announcing that he would be donating his prize jackpot to a friend with Down syndrome to pay for her heart and lung transplant.

Phillips is a builder by trade and got a truck load of TV work in the years afterwards on a DIY theme, including 60 Minute Makeover, Trading Up, Trading Up In The Sun, and Craig's Trade Tips.

He's now a dad of two and is still a popular contributor to TV shows.

Series 2 Brian Dowling (2001)

Dowling is the only person to have won Big Brother twice - both as the champion of the second series, and in 2010 for Ultimate Big Brother in a last hurrah series at Channel 4.

However, it wasn't the last viewers would see of Dowling as he moved with the reality show to Channel 5, taking over from Davina McCall as presenter.

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The TV presenter's many screen appearances have included taking part in the Irish version of Strictly, Dancing With The Stars, in 2020 where during a switch-up episode that saw the contestants swap partners he danced in the show's first all-male partnership - with Kai Widdrington, who joined Strictly in 2021 as AJ Odudu's partner.

Dowling also narrates The Real Housewives of Cheshire and Jersey.

Series 3 Kate Lawler (2002)

Big Brother's first ever female winner Lawler took part in a memorable summer in the house that also included Jade Goody, Adele Roberts and Alison Hammond.

She's enjoyed a busy career since then, mostly as a radio DJ, although she has also presented Channel 4's now-defunct breakfast show RI:SE and taken part in Love Island back in its early celebrity days, as well as Celebrity Wrestling.

Lawler recently became a mum and is a presenter on Virgin Radio.

Series 4 Cameron Stout (2003)

The fourth series of Big Brother was known for being one of the least exciting - because for once, the housemates actually got on pretty well.

It was won by thoroughly nice fish trader Stout, who became famous for his strong Christian beliefs and who took part in a swap with Big Brother Africa during his series.

Stout has made a few TV, BBC Radio Scotland and panto appearances since his win, but hasn't chased a media career.

Series 5 Nadia Almada (2004)

Portuguese contestant Almada didn't tell her housemates that she was transgender during her time in the house, although viewers did know.

Since winning, she has released a single, a fitness video and made entertainment show appearances, before entering a successful career as a colour specialist at Vidal Sassoon in London.

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Series 6 Anthony Hutton (2005)

Newcastle's Hutton swapped being a dancer in a 70s-themed bar for TV stardom when he won series six, becoming infamous for a steamy jacuzzi session with fellow housemate Makosi Musambasi.

Viewers might remember Hutton for his peak mid-00's haircut, but he's now capitalising on his 'do with a Durham barbers called Mr Hutton's where he has styled Geordie Shore stars and also runs an academy.

He recently appeared on This Morning in a rare TV appearance to talk about the Big Brother reboot.

Series 7 Pete Bennett (2006)

Series seven winner Bennett was keen to raise awareness of Tourette's syndrome when he entered the house and his stardom continued afterwards in various different music acts, which even saw him perform at Glastonbury.

Bennett had a sad reason to be back in the limelight recently as he offered his thoughts on the passing of Nikki Grahame in 2021, who he'd had a romance with during the series.

After the recent reboot announcement, Bennett, who launched cleaning company Celebriclean in 2016, joked that he wanted to host the series with his runner-up and friend, Glyn Wise.

Series 8 Brian Belo (2007)

Until the last year that Big Brother aired in 2018, Belo was the youngest ever winner of the series at just 19 years old - and his runners up, twins Amanda and Sam Marchant, were the first contestant duo.

Although Belo was noted for admitting he didn't know who William Shakespeare was, he got work after his win performing a number of Shakespeare plays to make them more accessible.

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Belo also appeared in Charlie Brooker's Big Brother-themed zombie drama Dead Set, but is best known in his post-Big Brother years for his law suit where he claimed the idea for The Only Way Is Essex was originally his, having pitched a strikingly similar show with trailer called Totally Essex.

Series 9 Rachel Rice (2008)

Rice's career in the spotlight began before Big Brother, as she worked as a child actor and then went into modelling competing in Miss Wales (alongside series seven's Imogen Thomas) and Miss Great Britain.

However, Rice's win didn't lead to Hollywood stardom - instead, she retrained as a teacher and is currently working at a school in Wales as Head of Expressive Arts.

Series 10 Sophie Reade (2009)

Series 10 saw a big slump in ratings that contributed to Channel 4 confirming they wouldn't renew the show past the end of its contract the following year.

Winner Reade has continued to work as a successful glamour model and has an OnlyFans account.

Series 11 Josie Gibson (2010)

Gibson was Channel 4's last ever winner and has proved one of the most successful former contestants.

A hugely popular winner, she re-entered the Big Brother house for Ultimate Big Brother less than 20 minutes after having left as the main series winner, but quit the spin-off on day three.

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She has made a huge number of TV appearances but is most famous for This Morning, where she started as a competition announcer.

Viewers loved Gibson's on-air gaffes and in 2021 she covered for host Holly Willoughby at short notice who was off sick - she is now a regular relief and holiday cover host, and often appears with her good friend, season three contestant and Friday host Alison Hammond.

Series 12 Aaron Allard-Morgan (2011)

Big Brother's first winner at Channel 5 didn't go on to set the world alight with a media career - Allard-Morgan happily settled back into his old life in Weston-super-Mare.

He runs a bar in his home town and wrote a book about his experiences on the show.

Series 13 Luke Anderson (2012)

Anderson may have won the series, but he had to split his £100,000 prize 50:50 with eighth-placed Conor McIntyre in a series twist.

Although he was popular with viewers for opening up on being transgender, Anderson has since spoken about having suffered panic attacks from trolling after he left the show.

He is now a dad to twins and runs a baking business with his wife.

Series 14 Sam Evans (2013)

Evans, who was born with around 80% hearing loss, took part in a programme for Welsh language channel S4C after his win where celebrities tried to learn Welsh.

Not much is known about his career now, although it's said he had plans to return to his job at Debenhams after leaving the house - although all of its stores were closed and the shop went online only following the pandemic.

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Series 15 Helen Wood (2014)

Former escort Wood was already pretty famous before going on Big Brother, thanks to her kiss-and-tell about having had a threesome with Wayne Rooney while wife Coleen was pregnant and later when an actor took out an injunction to prevent being named as having been her client.

She was a controversial winner, having been accused of bullying another housemate and after the series being arrested for an altercation with an enemy co-star.

Wood briefly came back in the next series alongside other former contestants but ended up in a huge row with Belo and was later banned by Channel 5 bosses from ever returning to the series or its spin-offs.

Series 16 Chloe Wilburn (2015)

The series 16 winner welcomed her first child in 2018 and has been living a quieter life out of the spotlight since then.

She had always shunned being involved in showbiz, apparently returning to her old job in a call centre after winning.

Series 17 Jason Burrill (2016)

Burrill might not have gone down the well-trodden route of a TV career, but he's certainly made some savvy moves with his prize money.

He invested in property development which is said to be set to earn him millions and he also works tirelessly to fundraise for charity.

Series 18 Isabelle Warburton (2017)

Warburton was the last woman to win the show and invested her prize money in setting up a beauty salon.

She's also welcomed her first child in the last couple of years.

Series 19 Cameron Cole (2018)

Big Brother superfan Cole took over Belo's mantle as the youngest ever winner at 19.

The vlogger came out on the show and won viewers' hearts, but rather than trying to keep up with his fame he is now studying Psychology at London's Goldsmiths University.

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