What Big Brother 8’s stars are doing now – from Ziggy and Chanelle to winner who ‘invented Towie’
BIG Brother 8 aired in the summer of 2007 and was hit with viewer complaints before it had barely begun.
One housemate had to be ejected by Day 9 after using a racial slur and the incident changed the way bosses dealt with things going forwards.
Big Brother officials started taking a zero-tolerance policy on potentially offensive or discriminatory language, which resulted in future contestants also being given the boot immediately.
Here, we look at who took part in Big Brother 8 and where they are now…
Brian Belo – Winner
Brian Belo won Big Brother 8 thanks to his endearing nature and claims he had never heard of William Shakespeare before.
He jumped on the fame train in the wake of his win and landed dozens of TV roles.
In addition to a cameo in Hollyoaks, he also appeared in Coach Trip, Come Dine With Me, Dead Set and Harry Hill’s TV Burp.
Brian hit the headlines again in 2013 when he sued the producers of The Only Way Is Esssex for allegedly stealing the idea of the show from him.
The reality star – who had come up with the idea for a show called Totally Essex – eventually settled out of court with ITV and Lime Pictures.
Brian now states his profession as Co Director at Yoghurt Productions on his LinkedIn, specialising in television formats and film manuscripts.
Amanda and Samantha Marchant – Runners Up
Dubbed ‘Samanda’, twin sisters Amanda and Sam Marchant entered the BB house as individual housemates.
On day 69, Big Brother gave them the offer of continuing as one housemate and they agreed.
Samantha and Amanda released their own cover of the pop song Barbie Girl when they left BB, with it charting at number 26.
They also released their own fitness DVD, beauty range and perfume.
These days, both girls are believed to work in fashion. Amanda is a merchandiser for ASOS, though Samantha is keeping a lower profile.
Liam McGough – Third place
Liam McGough walked away with £100,000 after finishing Big Brother in third place and he spent it on his family.
The tree surgeon’s mum Christine had MS and he paid for her care, while also putting some cash towards a new house.
Tragically, Liam’s mother passed away the year after his BB appearance. Several of his housemates attended her funeral.
These days, Liam is back doing what he loves and runs his own tree services company.
He also dabbles in documentary making and creates and designs tree houses.
Ziggy Lichman
“It’s not me, it’s you.” The phrase Ziggy Lichman is best known for.
Ziggy uttered the cringeworthy sentence while cooling off his romance in the BB house with fellow contestant Chanelle Hayes.
After making the most of the London party circuit, Ziggy got his kit off for a few saucy magazine shoots before settling down into more ‘normal’ jobs.
He apparently worked as a doorman at Paper club in London’s Soho.
Ziggy also tried his hand at running several eateries in London, including a Pan Asian restaurant called The Shop in Kensal Rise.
His current whereabout are unknown.
Carole Vincent
Carole Vincent was working as a sexual health counsellor when she entered Big Brother in 2007.
She finished in fifth place and went on to pose naked in a celebrity magazine.
Carole found herself in the spotlight again in 2021 when she was filmed heckling Sir Keir Starmer at the Labour Party Conference.
Speaking as the Red Flag socialist anthem was being belted out by activists in the conference hall, she raged: “The Red Flag is not f***ing flying here, is it?”
She added: “I was handed a red card and I think he deserves a red card for what he has done.”
Carole had previously stood as a council candidate for the Respect Party, which was run by George Galloway.
Jonty Stern
Welshman Jonty Stern was obsessed with his teddy bear and enjoyed a smattering of TV appearances after Big Brother.
In 2009, Jonty stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Totteridge in the by-election but was not successful.
He later began working as a visitor assistant at Sir John Soane’s Museum in London and now also runs his own walking tour company.
Kara-Louise Horne
Kara-Louise Horne was a late arrival to the 2007 Big Brother house and she was a student at the time.
Following her brief spell on the reality show, she ducked out of the limelight and qualified as a teacher.
Kara-Louise now lives with her son in Harrow, London, and works at a nearby school.
Tracey Barnard
Despite going on the country’s biggest reality show at that time, Tracey Barnard decided a career in showbiz was not for her.
She felt she wanted to “return to normal life” and went straight back to working for a children’s charity.
Tracey told her local newspaper at the time: “People out here have been supporting me and voting for me so it’s important that I give something back.
“I see the others doing the magazine shoots and making lots of money and think good luck to them – it’s just not something I’m interested in.
“I went into the house aged 36 and left, aged 37. I’m not 19 and I was never expecting to make a career as a celebrity or make loads of money.
“I just did it for a phat experience and to prove to myself that I could do it.”
Gerry Stergiopoulos
Greek housemate Gerry Stergiopoulos was working in London as a gallery researcher when he went on BB.
He went on to be applauded for “rescuing” the series with his sense of humour and intelligent conversations.
Since his BB days, Gerry has written his own book called Treat Them Mean and Keep Them Keen, and works as a sexpert and psychotherapist/ counsellor.
He also wrote 11 episodes of a cult TV series called Loveline for MTV Italy.
Amy Alexander
Glamour model Amy Alexander was a ‘halfway housemate’ living in one of several secret rooms during BB8.
She ended up on the show for just two weeks and returned to glamour modelling after her exit.
Amy now works as a makeup artist and lash technician and enjoys horse riding in her spare time.
David Parnaby
David Parnaby was also a halfway housemate during the summer of 2007.
Ten years after his stint in the show, Scots-born David spoke out and revealed he had spiralled into depression and a cocaine addiction.
In 2017, he was sentenced to carry out 70 hours of unpaid work after he was charged with drug possession.
The fashion stylist is now clean and practices Wicca. He describes himself on Instagram as ‘B****y Witchy’.
Shanessa Reilly
Another halfway housemate in Big Brother 8 was Shanessa Reilly.
The part-time care worker and table dancer did not make it to the final but made sure she was there to see Brian Belo crowned the winner.
Shanessa brought forward a court appearance to ensure it didn’t clash with the big night. She was fined a total of £115 and given three points after pleading guilty to driving without the correct licence.
The mum is now believed to be living in Cardiff, having returned to her job in care.
Chanelle Hayes
She may not have won, but Chanelle Hayes is arguably the most famous housemate to have come out of Big Brother 8.
Over the years, Chanelle has featured in countless magazines while talking about her personal life and ongoing battle with her weight.
At the height of her fame in 2009, Chanelle weighed just 8.5 stone.
She was barely eating and taking laxatives to try and achieve a WAG body; skinny with big boobs.
The star’s weight continued to fluctuate over the years and, in June this year, she showed off her bikini body after shedding nine stone.
Chanelle had a secret gastric sleeve operation in 2020 after ballooning to 17 stone.
She took the decision to go under the knife after struggling to overcome binge eating.
Chanelle has two sons and now runs her own business as a travel agent. She is also studying to become a nurse.
Charley Uchea
London party girl Charley Uchea described herself as an ‘It Girl’.
Big Brother fans are most likely to remember her for all the furious arguments she sparked with her housemates.
One row – with Chanelle Hayes – lasted a full 10 minutes. The subject? How old the singer Rihanna was.
Charley threw herself into the party scene harder than ever after her Big Brother eviction before disappearing out of the public eye.
It is believed she tried her hand at running a furnishing business, which was unsuccessful, and now earns a living as a bikini-wearing influencer on Instagram.
Nicky Maxwell
Bank worker Nicky Maxwell was keen to put Big Brother behind her in pursuit of her dream job.
After leaving the house, she began volunteering for various charities before landing the position of community fundraiser for a London hospice.
She also met her now-husband Jeremy and they moved in together.
Nicky told her local paper: “My life changed so much when I got out of the house.
“I had people coming up to me all the time and I couldn’t even go out to buy a pint of milk without being noticed.
was a wreck. I became really depressed and if it hadn’t been for my boyfriend, Jeremy, I don’t think I would have got out of it.”
Nicky now works as a community and events manager for a homeless charity in Hertfordshire called DENS.
Laura Williams
Laura Williams will be best remembered for sleeping her way through her Big Brother stint.
Nicknamed ‘Wangers’ because of the size of her breasts, Laura blamed her exhaustion on back pain caused by her boobs.
The full-time nanny later turned down the offer of posing topless for a lads’ mag in a bid to protect her career.
Laura had a breast reduction and lost weight with the help of a personal trainer. She is believed to be living back home in Wales but has vanished into obscurity.
Jonathan Durden
Jonathan Durden was a latecomer to the 2007 house, having entered on Day 17.
But on Day 35 he decided to leave after learning that his grandmother had died.
Jonathan has enjoyed a successful career in PR and co-founded a hugely successful men’s grooming range called Below The Belt.
He lives in a whopping house with his wife and children and spends a lot of time in Spain.
Billi Bhatti
Billi Bhatti was working as a model when he sprang to fame on Big Brother.
The wrestling fan, who said people would find him “two-faced, arrogant and vain”, was the third housemate to be evicted.
Billi has since turned his passion into his career and now works as a wrestler under the name Billi Lightning.
He is believed to have a son with his wife Holli, who he met in Las Vegas.
Seany O’Kane
Seany O’Kane will be remembered for his obsession with Michael Jackson, curly mop of hair and sweatband.
The best thing to come out of his spell on Big Brother was that it brought him closer to his father.
He told the Belfast Telegraph several years ago: “The relationship between me and my dad wasn’t perfect before Big Brother and it was a pathway for our reconciliation and I ended up being an ambassador for an organisation that connected dads and their kids.”
Seany now lives in Moscow, has one child and works as a sex therapist.
Shabnam Paryani
Drama student Shabnam Paryani only lasted two weeks in the Big Brother house before she was given the boot.
After a string of office jobs, she went on to do further training to hone her craft and now works as an actress.
Her biography on her agent’s website reads: “My recent acting roles have included portraying the Jewish holocaust victim Anne Frank.
“My film work has taken me to Spain and and I have taken part in Bollywood fashion shows and modelling assignments.”
Lesley Brain
At 60, Lesley Brain was the oldest contestant at that time to have gone on Big Brother.
But after just 11 days, the retired headhunter walked out through “boredom”.
Lesley told her local newspaper in 2020: “On the rare occasions I see pictures of me in BB I do not recognise myself.
“Largely, perhaps, because I look so miserable and I am in real life a very positive and jolly person whose greatest pleasure is in good company.”
Lesley, a widow, wrote a book about her experience called A Minority Of One and is a keen member of the Women’s Institute.
Emily Parr
Student Emily Parr was the only housemate from 2007 to be ejected from the house by Big Brother.
Infamously, her 3.30am departure came after she used a racial slur towards housemate Charley Uchea as they chatted in the garden.
Emily took full responsibility and quickly apologised, saying publicly: “There’s no amount of words that can cover how sorry and how stupid I’ve been.
“But we’ve all got to move on now and all I ask from anyone reading this is that they understand what really happened and accept my apology.”
Emily has worked hard to put the controversy behind her and now goes by the name Emily Valentine.
She works as a lifestyle, fashion and beauty content creator, with 47,000 followers on Instagram.
- Big Brother is on ITV2 nightly at 9pm