Big Brother's Nadia Almada reflects on empowering trans women on show
Almada was the first trans woman to win the show back in 2004.
Back in 2004, reality TV star Nadia Almada made history as the first trans woman to win Big Brother UK.
Fast-forward to 2023, and with the ITV reboot currently underway, Nadia is feeling very "proud", admitting that her win "sparked" many conversations and made her "relatable" to other trans people.
In an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com, Nadia opened up about her favourite moments of all time, which included her infamous feud with Vanessa, better known as "fight night", and taking a shower in heels.
But she couldn't talk about her time on Big Brother without mentioning what it meant for the trans community.
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She said when asked for her highlights: "Oh my god, there's so many. I mean, I'm reminded a lot of my shower in heels. That was a moment. Iconic!
"The 'fight night', which I'm not so proud of. I don’t condone violence, but it was iconic. You know, that was the first time the live streaming was taken down. We have to look back and laugh at these things.
"With winning, [it was about] the acceptance. Winning, yes of course, I'm very proud of that. I never expected to win.
"But I think the acceptance that I got through the show and the conversations that I sparked at that time within our society, it was important to have."
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On being the first trans woman to win the show, she continued: "I never took on that message per se, but it became relevant and it became poignant and I became relatable for a lot of people that were watching and growing up and trying to figure out how to navigate themselves with what they were going through. And, for the first time, they had the reference.
"For the first time, they had someone they could say, 'Okay, I understand this now and this is how I see myself, as well.' Whereas before, there was no visibility.
"So, in that aspect, I think I have so many great memories. I still have people coming to me on the street, saying, 'You know, I voted for you. I love you on the show. You look great. You changed my life. I bought the Chanel sunglasses that you wore in the diary room.'"
Looking back on these memories, Nadia says she feels "honoured" and it gives her "great satisfaction".
She added: "I became the voice of a generation. I think that's important. I knew that I was always someone who would be more a leader than a follower. And I'm always going to be a first of many things.
"But now I also have my new empowered trans women out there that are really taking space, speaking out loud, speaking their truth, and they acknowledge me and they appreciate what I did for that generation, and I think I never thought I would do that. But yeah, I'm very honoured."
Nadia recently opened up about feeling protective of this year's contestant Hallie, who came out as transgender to her housemates in the second episode.
Speaking to MailOnline, Nadia said: "I knew immediately once she came out and she made that beautiful moment to her housemates and the nation – presenting herself and her identity as trans – I automatically felt very protective of her."
Big Brother airs on weekdays and Sundays on ITV2 and ITVX. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide or visit our hub for more Entertainment news.
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