My Story : Building Beyond 'Big Brother'

In summer 2000 a new media phenomenon was born - Big Brother.

Rivetting the viewing public and the media alike, it was watched by over 10 million people.

The very first winner was Craig Phillips, the endearing Liverpudlian 'chippie with a heart of gold'.

He emerged from the big Brother house with 3.7 million votes and promptly gave his entire GBP70,000 winnings to a friend with Downs Syndrome.

Craig already had an established and successful construction business and after leaving Big Brother went on to combine this with his new-found media savvy to forge a brilliant career spanning both worlds.

He went on to present and produce shows for BBC, ITV and Discovery Channel, as well as making guest appearances on some of the most popular shows on TV including The Weakest Link, Bo!

Selecta, and Children in Need. Alongside this he has set up a skills centre to train young people.

He gives inspirational talks to schools and universities and has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for numerous charities.

Not bad for a dyslexic working class boy from a deprived area of Liverpool.

Craig's is the ultimate story of triumph over adversity.

But it could have been so different...