![\"Narinder](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1755362349_362_0_TV-Choice-Awards-2025-Arrivals.jpg\")
Narinder lifts the lid on the secrets inside – and out – of the Big Brother house(Image: Mike Marsland\/WireImage)<\/p>\nA former Big Brother contestant has published an explosive book all about life inside – and after – the famous reality house, and reveals the surprising amount she earned for her appearance<\/p>\n
08:00, 16 Aug 2025Updated 08:06, 16 Aug 2025<\/p>\n
Narinder lifts the lid on the secrets inside – and out – of the Big Brother house(Image: Mike Marsland\/WireImage)<\/p>\n
Former medical rep Narinder Kaur <\/a>walked into the Big Brother house back in 2001 as a complete unknown. She walked out 29 days later as one of the biggest \u2013 and first \u2013 reality TV stars of her generation. Now, almost 25 years on, the mum-of-two has updated her bombshell 2007 book<\/a> about life inside the famous house, including interviews with more than 30 other contestants (such as Anthony Hutton, Brian Dowling and Nadia Almada), as well as producers and psychologists.<\/p>\n Chatting exclusively, the 52-year-old Good Morning Britain<\/a> regular says she wants to show why reality stars deserve more \u201csympathy\u201d, especially when their headline-making antics come back to haunt them years later.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s part expos\u00e9, part warning,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople are still fascinated by the whole process. It\u2019s the idea of overnight fame, how it changes your life and affects everyone around you. I think the reaction to me on the show actually made me stronger. I was written off and had this burning desire to prove everybody wrong \u2013 it\u2019s still there. Big Brother<\/a> has been around for so long now, but the real story is what happens after the house, and that\u2019s the story I wanted to tell.\u201d It comes after one huge TV star looks completely unrecognisable as she reveals latest facelift<\/a>.<\/p>\n READ MORE: ITV makes major decision on I’m A Celebrity’s future after talks with officials<\/a>READ MORE: Strictly’s Anton Du Beke shares heartbreak over wife’s ‘cruel and inexplicable’ diagnosis<\/a> Hi, Narinder! Did Big Brother change your life in the way you expected it to?<\/p>\n I liken it to throwing a pebble in a pond. It\u2019s the ripple effect you don\u2019t expect. We were just normal, innocent people and yes, I wanted fame, but I had no idea the level of fame it would bring. You became an overnight household name and when you\u2019re just an ordinary person with a normal life before going in, it\u2019s mindblowing.<\/p>\n Is it different for contestants nowadays?<\/p>\n Probably. I think the level of reaction is different, and we\u2019ve learnt some lessons.<\/p>\n TV companies are more careful \u2013 as they should be \u2013 after the deaths of Love Island<\/a> contestants. And the housemates are more aware of what they\u2019re getting themselves into. They can also go back to their normal lives now.<\/p>\n The book has some shocking stories!<\/p>\n Yes, and there were a few we couldn\u2019t put in because they were too shocking. To be honest, nothing surprised me. It\u2019s like modern-day gladiators \u2013 you\u2019re thrown into the lion\u2019s den for entertainment. And there\u2019s a lot of people who don\u2019t realise that we didn\u2019t get paid when I did the show. We got a statutory weekly payment of about \u00a320.<\/p>\n You spoke to Kinga Karolczak about the infamous \u2018bottle incident\u2019<\/a>, didn\u2019t you? [Kinga had an X-rated moment with it]<\/p>\n Yes, and out of everyone I interviewed, I felt the deepest sympathy for Kinga. She\u2019s a really sweet girl and, like we all did, she went on the show to become famous. To do that, you want to keep the producers happy by making a great show. So, you can make a snap decision that affects the rest of your life. How do you rebuild it after that?<\/p>\n What do you say to people considering applying to the show?<\/p>\n I tell them to think very carefully. It\u2019s going to change their lives, maybe in ways they don\u2019t want it to. There\u2019s also social media now, and no amount of duty of care can protect you from hate. But I could sit with a would-be contestant today and warn them, and I\u2019d literally see them not listening \u2013 they\u2019re just thinking about all the glory.<\/p>\n The duty of care has changed over the years though, hasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n Yes, I think contestants get support for about a year afterwards, when I went on, there was nothing afterwards. I didn\u2019t have a clue what was going on. I didn\u2019t know why newspapers were calling me. My book shows what can happen to people\u2019s mental health afterwards, something we really need to look at.<\/p>\n Do you think reality TV has a future?<\/p>\n Personally, I\u2019d like to see it end, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to. There\u2019s no getting around the fact some people will find it very difficult afterwards. I spoke to so many modern-day contestants who are all still going through the same process of disbelief about how their life has changed.<\/p>\n Why did you want to write this book?<\/p>\n To help people understand the show more, and have sympathy for the contestants. We\u2019re human, and there were times where we entertained people at the expense of our mental health. I wanted to bring a bit of humanity and insight to it all. The process can be brutal, and I wanted to give other contestants a voice. I really wanted to see how it affected people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n If you could turn back the clock, would you still audition for Big Brother?<\/p>\n It sounds crazy, but yes. I\u2019d probably play the game differently and fake it more. I think I was too real and I thought people would like that, but they didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n Are there other shows you\u2019d love to do?<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been emailing Loose Women<\/a> for about 25 years because it\u2019s my dream show, but they haven\u2019t replied yet. Actually, I got one reply in lockdown. But I\u2019m still hoping the dream might come true.<\/p>\n Narinder\u2019s book Big Brother: The Inside Story \u2013 25 Years Of Chaos, Controversy And Cultural Shifts is available now on Amazon<\/p>\n * Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat <\/a>, Instagram <\/a>, Twitter <\/a>, Facebook <\/a>, YouTube <\/a>and Threads <\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"LONDON](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_Big-Brother-2.jpg\")
Narinder was in the Big Brother house with the likes of Brian Dowling, Paul Clarke, Helen Adams and Stuart Hosking(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Narinder](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_SHOWBIZ-BrotherNarinder-2.jpg\")
Narinder claims she only received a weekly payment of around \u00a320 a week when she was in the house(Image: PA)<\/p>\n![\"Kinga](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_KINGA-BIG-BROTHER-TV-PROGRAMME-2005.jpg\")
Kinga Karolczak was one of the most controversial housemates in the show’s history(Image: Enterprise News and Pictures)<\/p>\n