Exactly 25 years ago today, a television experiment changed broadcasting forever as Big Brother launched on Channel 4.
Adapted from the Dutch format, which premiered in 1999, the UK version initially pitted ten housemates against one another in a monitored compound.
Grace Adams-Short shot to fame during her appearance on season seven of the show in 2006, and quickly became known for her blunt opinions and fiery clashes with fellow housemates.
Her divisive character famously led to fans chanting ‘Get Grace Out’ during eviction nights, and she exited to a chorus of boos after hurling a glass of water over housemate Susie Verrico.
Now, nearly two decades later, Grace has revealed that she has zero regrets after the show led her to meeting her now-husband, Mikey Dalton.
Speaking to Betway ahead of Big Brother’s milestone anniversary, she has opened up about what the Big Brother hosts were really like off-camera in her experience, the surprising celebrity fans she gained following the show, and the memorable moments she and Mikey still look back on today.
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When looking back on her time on the show, Grace admitted that she’s sometimes wondered if she should have ‘just been the nice girl’, and so lasted a longer amount of time in the Big Brother House.
‘But I wouldn’t have been able to keep that up. You’re watched 24/7, so it’s impossible to be someone you’re not.’
As for Susie? Grace hasn’t seen her since as their paths ‘have never crossed’ – but she hopes that all of these years later, her housemate ‘could now see the funny side of it all’.
‘Big Brother was like a panto and it was all theatrical. I would never have thrown a glass of water over someone in normal life but it was such a strange environment. I was young too.’
Grace was only 20 years old when she competed on Big Brother – and at the time, she thought that she ‘knew it all’.
‘I used to have such a potty mouth and even Mikey says he would often wish I’d stop talking in the house because he knew I was digging myself a deeper hole,’ she said.
‘I dealt with the boos and the backlash well, though. I think my background in dance gave me a thick skin and even at that young age, I could handle rejection.’
Asked what her relationship was like with former hosts Davina McCall and Dermot O’Leary, she explained: ‘Davina was never really friendly to me. Even during my eviction interview, I could tell she didn’t like me. She was a Big Brother b***h! I’ve never seen her since. Dermot, on the other hand, was lovely.
‘The nicest, most genuine guy. I had to spend a week with him on Big Brother’s Little Brother after coming out of the house, and we had a great time.
‘He even stopped his taxi on Regent’s Street once because he saw me. He was always so lovely to my mum, too. Rylan Clark is such a great guy also. I met him years ago – this was before X Factor, when he still had ginger hair.
‘He told me he was a huge fan of my series, and despite all the success he’s achieved since, he’s remained so lovely.’
Following the fame she gained after leaving the show, Grace also revealed some of her biggest ‘pinch-me moments’.
I remember Simon Cowell approaching me at an event and asking me if I was being nicer to people yet,’ she said.
‘I felt like saying “that’s the pot calling the kettle black!” It was a pretty surreal moment to realise someone like Simon Cowell had been tuning in and watching me!
‘There was another time when I was at V Festival and Richard Branson offered me his helicopter to get back home. I turned it down as I felt it was going out of his way.
‘Mikey told me I was a fool to say no and it could have turned into a big business opportunity. But I just didn’t want to inconvenience him!’
Discussing what’s next for her in her career, Grace said she has set up her own dance academy as she was originally a dance teacher before.
She also recently launched the OSO content studio for brands and creators.
The 39-year-old said she was ‘smart enough’ to launch her own business following the show, using it as a ‘stepping stone’.
She went on to say ‘I do dip my toe into the celebrity world every now and again’ but she would rather spend time with her family as she doesn’t want to ‘chase fame’.
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