Chatting to The Latch over the phone after being announced as one of Big Brother Royalty Vs New Contenders‘ Final Three, 2003 winner Reggie Bird — the last remaining OG in the game — said that she was feeling “really good” about everything.
“Second time ’round, who would’ve thought, hey!” she laughed. “I’m very excited, I can’t wait for the finale.”
While it may seem that Reggie Bird is a lock to become the very first two-time winner of Big Brother Australia during the live finale on Tuesday, July 12, Bird herself isn’t feeling that confident.
She laughed.
“To be honest, I’m up against some tough competition, you know,” she said. “I just don’t wanna get that in my head and then be let down at the end there. And because people have gotta vote, that’s the biggest thing, to get me over the line.”
Related: Reggie Bird Makes History As First Two-Time Winner of ‘Big Brother Australia’
Bird went on to say that she’s “worried people are gonna be complacent” and that one of her competitors, Johnson Ashak and Taras Hrubyj-Piper, will sneak in and secure the win.
“I’m up against tough competition, and they just have to get on and vote,” Bird reiterated. “I’ve played an honest game, and you know, I did the best that I could. And I’m funny, and I’m good, and I did it for my kids! This one’s for the kids!” she laughed.
Related: How to Cast Your Vote for Big Brother Royalty Vs New Contenders
Related: Big Brother’s Taras Hrubyj-Piper: “I Never Expected to Get This Far”
Bird shares two children with ex-husband Dale Sorenson, daughter Mia, 15, and son Lucas, 12. When Lucas was just four weeks old, he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
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Noting that her kids are “so proud” of their mum, Bird said that “they’re so chuffed when they watch it, they get all excited and they just can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen, they just love the show.”
After facing many personal struggles over the years — Bird suffers from extensive vision loss, with only nine degrees of central pin-hole vision, no night vision or peripheral vision — the former winner said that the $250,000 prize money would be a game-changer for her and her family.
“It’s a no-brainer,” she said. “I just want a roof over our heads for me and the kids, so that’s what I’d be using the money for, and also that’s gonna help pay for Lucas’ medication. It’s mainly for me and the kids to just have some kind of security and stability.”
Aside from the money, Bird said that it would be “awesome” to become the show’s first two-time winner, and that it would mean the world to her.
Related: Big Brother’s Brenton Parkes: “I Really Thought I Was Gonna Win“
Related: Big Brother’s Johnson Ashak: “I’m Lucky, I’m Blessed and I’m Humbled”
“To make history, to win it twice, what a better housemate to do it than me?!” she exclaimed, laughing. “I know that sounds wanky, but to win it twice would be an absolute dream come true and an honour, to keep the crown on Reggie’s head would be amazing.”
In 2003, Australia fell in love with Bird, watching on as she went through a transformative experience, coming to the realisation that she didn’t want to go back to her old life.
To come back for Big Brother Royalty Vs New Contenders, Bird said, was “a dream come true”.
“I’ve been wanting to do this again for so many years, I’ve been campaigning for an all stars for years,” she said.
As for what she learned about herself this time, Bird said that she “really learned that [she] could do anything, because it was so mentally, physically, emotionally draining”.
In fact, one thing we didn’t see at home was that Bird was “also injured the whole time” they were filming.
“The first week I rolled my ankle, trying to hide a bag of apples in the wardrobe because we had no food,” she laughed. “Then the next one, it was one of the hanging challenges and I fell, and I ended up getting whiplash and I jarred my whole back, and then I tore my left quad in a running challenge in the house, a food challenge, and then in another hanging challenge on the big slide, it was so high up and I was too scared to let go, and when I did let go I tore my other quad, so I had two torn quads, a rolled ankle, whiplash, so, I battled through injured, the whole way!”
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After “months of physio”, though, Bird is happy to report that she’s now doing “a lot better than [she] was”. “As you get older, it takes a long time to heal!” she exclaimed.
At the end of the day, though, Bird wants us to know that “Reggie’s still the same old Reggie!”
“I haven’t changed, the only thing that’s changed is my eyes going downhill,” she said. “I’m still the same old me.”
Big Brother Royalty Vs New Contenders will conclude with a live finale tomorrow, Tuesday July 12, from 7.30pm, only on 7 and 7 Plus.
Voting for the winner of Big Brother Royalty Vs New Contenders is now open, and you can vote for Reggie Bird here.
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