SHOW AND TELL
Imogen Anthony hopes her stint on BigBrother brings viewers the same joy she felt watching as a fan, writes Siobhan Duck
IF anyone has what it takes to go on reality TV series Big Brother Australia VIP, it’s model Imogen Anthony. After all, having spent 10 years in a relationship with radio personality Kyle Sandilands, she’s no stranger to rubbing shoulders with superstars, dealing with big personalities and weathering a bit of controversy. Plus, she’s been a fan of the show since it debuted in 2001 – including the seasons when Sandilands was a celebrity housemate in 2002, a surprise guest in 2003, and a co-host [alongside Jackie O] in 2008.
“I’ve been wanting to do Big Brother because when I was younger it was my favourite TV show,” Anthony says.
“I think it was just the ridiculousness of those characters like Sara-Marie [Fedele, in the inaugural season in 2001] with her bum dance. And then of course hearing stories from
Kyle. He definitely gave me some pointers. We’re still sorting ourselves out in a way [since the relationship ended in 2019], but we’ll always be friends. And he told me to stand my ground and just be me.” Big Brother is the only reality TV show Anthony has ever considered doing.
“I never wanted to do any of these other shows,” she says.
“I always was very protective of myself when it came to things like this. I never wanted to expose myself that much, contrary to popular belief. But Big Brother was the kind of thing where you go in with your own personality and just be you.”
While Anthony says the main lure of the show was to “tick something off the bucket list”, she admits it had the added appeal of allowing her to show Australia she was more than just Sandilands’ ex-girlfriend.
For the record, Anthony insists that she never felt as if she was living in her ex’s shadow, and says that despite their 19-year age gap, their relationship was always equal. It also forced her to grow a thick skin as she had to deal with online bullying and false rumours about her personal life.
She hopes Big Brother will give viewers an opportunity to see the woman behind the headlines.
“People who follow me on Instagram won’t be too surprised by what they see on the show,” Anthony says.
“It sounds lame, but fans and followers know what I’m about. But there will be a lot of people who have put judgement on me for the last nine years [who will be surprised] that I’m not what they thought. Although I’m not really sure what it is they think of me.”
While Big Brother has had no shortage of controversies over its turbulent history across three commercial networks, the new season managed to spark outrage before a single episode was filmed.
The Seven Network was forced to send polarising British commentator Katie Hopkins packing after it emerged she was breaching Australian quarantine restrictions and bragging about it on social media.
Anthony says she was too busy mentally preparing herself for the reality show experience to pay any attention to the hoopla surrounding Hopkins.
“I didn’t want to get scared, so I didn’t google anything,” she says.
“I heard the rumours like everyone else, but I didn’t know who was going in until I was in the room with them and then I was like, OK that [rumour] was true and that one wasn’t.”
Even without Hopkins in the mix, there are plenty of other contentious figures in the house alongside Anthony, including Meghan Markle’s half-brother Thomas Markle Jr, former aide to Donald Trump and outspoken Celebrity Apprentice US personality Omarosa Manigault Newman, and reality star-turnedpolitical aspirant Caitlyn Jenner.
Anthony says she made some life-long friendships among the contestants, but quickly adds that didn’t mean everyone got along all the time.
She just hopes that her time on the show brings viewers the same joy she felt watching Fedele in her bunny ears 20 years ago.
“If you want to do these things, and spread cheer and laughter and inspire others to be themselves, then you’ve got to put yourself out there,” she says.
“But it’s a double-edged sword.”
BIG BROTHER VIP PREMIERES TOMORROW AT 7.30PM ON SEVEN AND 7PLUS