TV presenter and charity patron Craig Phillips has been busy since he won Channel 4s reality show some 15 years ago. But the former builder, who is this years Mr Battle, has lost none of his humble charm, as Tristram Colledge discovers
THERE is something instantly likeable about Craig Phillips.
As we chat on the phone a week before the parade I find this year’s Mr Battle warm and sincere, relaxed and full of charm.
It is perhaps no wonder why millions of viewers voted for him to become the first winner of Big Brother 15 years ago.
At the end of the show, the newly crowned reality TV king was thrust into the national media spotlight at the age of 27.
He was suddenly forced to meet in secret with friends to escape the paparazzi and was rubbing shoulders with celebrities, politicians and royalty on a daily basis.
During this time there were invitations to dinner with the Beckhams, visits to Downing Street, not to mention an endless stream of television interviews.
The immediate fame could have resulted in a rapidly inflated ego, but then Craig was never in it for the celebrity status.
Every penny of his £70,000 winnings went towards a heart and lung transplant for childhood friend and Down’s Syndrome sufferer Joanne Harris, who was told she could not have the life-saving operation on the NHS.
Since then, the Down’s Syndrome Association patron, who left school at 15 to become a butcher and later started his own building business, has forged a career in television, putting his DIY skills into action on hundreds of episodes of the 60 Minute Makeover.
What is clear is that throughout his work both on and off the camera his passion for helping those in need has not wavered.
‘I like being involved in shows like the 60 Minute Makeover because they are about transforming people’s lives,’ he said.
‘You change their home, but you actually change their life as well.
‘A lot of the people that we help are those that have been poorly or been having a tough time and they don’t have the money to do up their house themselves, so they really are worthy of a makeover.
‘The rewarding thing is seeing the families return to their homes – their reaction is really special and it can bring tears to your eyes.’
Indeed, the altruistic outlook of the man whose father was killed by a drink driver when he was only 13, was the reason he came to the Island earlier this year.
He and girlfriend Chloe flew over in March to celebrate the 40th birthday of Les Amis, a charity that provides services to help Islanders who have learning difficulties.
‘It was so lovely to meet the residents at Les Amis and seeing the fantastic work that the charity does,’ he said.
‘My whole trip was brilliant – I enjoyed everything about Jersey.
‘It was so lush and green, it was so clean – it was just a beautiful, beautiful environment and the people were so lovely.’
While he was here, he met yet-to-be crowned Miss Battle Chantelle Mundy for an interview with the JEP.
He certainly made an impression on the 19-year-old, for when she was announced as the parade’s leading lady, it was only Craig that she wanted to accompany her.
‘I feel completely flattered and honoured to be asked to come along,’ he said.
‘I must say when I came to the Island the first time I had no idea what the Battle was, but when I looked into it and saw all the history I was fascinated.’
It will be the second year running that a lad from Liverpool takes on the ambassadorial role, following singer Ray Quinn last year.
‘The Scousers are invading!’ Craig (43) jokes, adding that he recently spoke to Ray about what to expect on the big day.
‘Ray told me about being on the float and having thousands of people making so much effort and making you welcome and how much he enjoyed the experience.
‘I’m starting to get very excited about it now.’
The Battle will not be the first unusual event that Craig has been involved in.
Since Big Brother he has featured in three Christmas singles – the first which of which reached number 14 in the UK singles chart and raised £40,000 for the Down’s Syndrome Association.
On another one of the singles he collaborated with comedian Leigh Francis on Bo Selectas! Proper Crimbo, and a few years later he had a cameo role in Francis’ spoof movie Keith Lemon: The Film.
Shortly after he left the Big Brother House he was made a chieftain of a town in the Highlands after he was given an honorary Great Scot award for his work raising the profile of Down’s Syndrome – and it is that event which he believes might be closest he has come to the Battle.
‘It was a lot of fun – it was kind of like becoming the lord mayor for one day,’ he said.
‘It was a wonderful event. I got to wear a kilt for the first time and the Scottish really made me feel very welcome.’
Being the focus of attention is something that Craig has got more and more used to over the years, but it initially took him some time to become accustomed to.
‘When I came out of the Big Brother house it was very hard to get my head around. I was having so much attention and I had bodyguards everywhere I went.
‘It’s very flattering and you have to pinch yourself each night. You go to bed thinking, is this real? Is this a dream?’
It was something that, he said, led to some surreal experiences with famous faces.
‘Victoria Beckham told me if she wasn’t married she would have proposed to me on the last night of Big Brother,’ said Craig.
‘All these weird strange things that don’t happen to normal people were happening to me on a daily basis.
‘Channel 4 assigned a psychologist for after the show to keep a close eye on how I was handling the fame and the attention and the media and I’d meet up with him every week or so.
‘Luckily for me I had a trade so I was quickly recognised for having the building background.
‘I was offered the chance of having a media career and earning good money. I was very lucky.
‘There’s an endless amount of wonderful experiences that I would never, ever have thought that I would have got the opportunity to do, and my next one is the Battle of Flowers.’
That endearing enthusiasm and humble nature is the reality behind the reality TV star – the man who went from butcher, to builder, from Big Brother to the Beckhams, and now from the BBC to the Battle.
- The 41-year-old Liverpudlian secured a bricklaying apprenticeship when he was 18 and went on to run a successful construction business throughout the 1990s, employing 30 tradesmen and operating with an annual turnover of more than £1 million.
- In the summer of 2000, Craig beat 45,000 applicants to appear alongside nine other contestants on Britain’s first reality TV show, Big Brother.
- Watched by over 10 million people, Big Brother was a huge success fascinating both the public and the media – and after more than nine weeks in the Big Brother house, Craig won the series with 3.7 million votes, £70,000 prize money and a National Television Award for Best Live Television Moment of the Year.
- Craig famously donated his entire winnings to childhood friend and down’s syndrome sufferer Joanne Harris. Within six days of leaving the show, he had raised £250,000 to pay for her life-saving heart and lung transplant.
- He went on to combine his knowledge of construction and media savvy to forge a career as one of the UK’s leading DIY and home improvement experts. He has since presented and produced over 850 DIY and home improvement shows for major broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, Sky One, UKTV Style and Discovery Realtime, which have been broadcast throughout Europe and as far as Korea, New Zealand and the USA.
- He made his stage debut in 2002, playing Buttons in pantomime production Cinderella and has since appeared in many more pantomimes.
