Craig Phillips, the Liverpudlian who won the very first Big Brother UK, said he was “devastated” to learn of Ricky Hatton’s passing. The Stockport-born boxing star, who would have celebrated his 47th birthday in October, was found dead at his Gee Cross home on Sunday, September 14, at the age of 46.
Big Brother makes its return tonight on ITV and ITV2. Speaking to OK! ahead of the live launch, Craig revealed that his “close friend” Ricky Hatton would have been one of his dream housemates.
Craig said: “I was devastated to hear of his passing. Ricky was a close friend. He even sent Laura and me a video message on our wedding day. His energy was beautiful.”
Ricky spoke openly about his struggles with mental health and drug addiction throughout his career, inspiring many others to speak out and seek help. During his boxing career, the Manchester City fan held multiple world championships, as well as UK titles, and was named Fighter of the Year in 2015.
A service celebrating Ricky’s life will take place at Manchester Cathedral at midday on Friday, October 10. Fans will have the chance to pay their respects as the funeral procession makes its way towards the cathedral, with the proposed route due to be confirmed prior to the event.
While fans will be able to remember Ricky outside of the cathedral and along the procession route, entry into the Manchester Cathedral service will be by invitation only.
Craig Phillips applied for Big Brother in 2000 to explore ways to raise funds for his childhood friend, Joanne Harris, who had Down’s Syndrome, to undergo a life-changing operation.
The 53-year-old was selected from 45,000 applicants for the first season of Big Brother – and was eventually crowned the programme’s first ever winner.
Craig, who grew up in Seaforth, was in the house for 64 days without any contact with the outside world. The builder by trade left the house to huge cheers and was comforted to see his family, along with the fellow contestants.
Looking back on his time in the house, Craig told OK!: “I didn’t expect to win at all. The whole build-up – about nine months of applications, screen tests, psychiatric screening, medicals, police checks – gave me confidence because I got shortlisted from about 45,000 people. I got the call saying, ‘Craig, you’re in – you’re one of the 10.’ I felt like I’d already won.”
On life after the show, he added: “Luckily, I had a trade before Big Brother – I loved my building work. I never set out to be famous but we explored opportunities in makeover TV.
“My first big show was with ITV ’s Renovation Street, then BBC show House Call. After that, I signed a four-year exclusive with the BBC, doing about 150 shows a year.
“Over time, I did over 2,000 makeover shows across the UK and even abroad with the military in places like Bosnia, Cyprus, the Falklands and Canada.”