Craig Phillips, who has teamed up with the UK’s fastest-growing chalk paint brand Frenchic, has opened up about his unexpected journey from bricklayer to TV presenter.
The 51-year-old DIY expert has described the life-altering deal he entered into after leaving Big Brother in a wider conversation about his favourite paint Frenchic, which is all-natural and eco-friendly.
In a new interview with Express.co.uk, Craig explained how he had never expected the whirlwind success he experienced after winning the very first series of Big Brother in 2000.
Asked if he could have ever imagined what Big Brother would lead to, he admitted: “No, not at all, because I genuinely never wanted to work on TV. It was never something I aimed for or my ambition to work in the public eye in any way.
“I went on the show because I was trying to help Joanne Harris,” he added in reference to his late friend who he managed to raise money for so that she could receive life-changing surgery.
Craig went on to explain how he was “the last person to know how big the show had become”.
“It was kind of a game changer for TV and reality TV was kind of born from it,” he said.
“And it was the BBC who first invited me in to do a makeover show with them, and I remember doing the first live show with them – a show called House Call.”
Craig recalled how the show, set in a Birmingham mansion, turned out to be a breeze for him thanks to his previous experience in front of the camera and around a building site.
The DIY pro continued: “Before my first live show, I remember the producer in the morning told me, ‘Ok it’s live, you know, and there’s going to be cameras everywhere.’
“And I was like, ‘Well I’ve just lived in the Big Brother house for many months with live cameras everywhere, it doesn’t bother me!’
“Then he said, ‘Will you be able to put up a shelf, or fix this or whatever?’ And I was like, ‘Well yeah, I’ve done that all my life! I can do all that and ten times more with my eyes closed.’”
Craig then went on to reveal the huge deal that the BBC offered him after seeing him work on camera for the very first time.
He remembered: “ I remember doing the very first live show and when I came off the air they were like, ‘We want to sign you up for an exclusive deal.’
“I think it was initially just 100 shows with the BBC in the first year, but I went on to do about 600 shows in a four-year exclusive deal with the BBC.
“So I never dreamed anything like that would come about and I just took it as a compliment and I thought I’ll roll with it
“And I was enjoying it more than working on-site with 30 other builders you know!” he quipped.
Speaking more about using Frenchic paint, Craig marvelled at its versatility and stunning finish, admitting: “Pretty much everything you see inside and outside my house is painted with it!”
He also admitted the quality of the paint was “like nothing I’d ever seen before” and has since made it his mission to spread the word to fellow DIY lovers and people looking to do up their houses with some professional flare.
The full Frenchic range can be found at www.frenchicpaint.co.uk.
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