IN 2006 James Brooksby won the sixth season of Big Brother and walked away with $426,000 in prize money.
A decade later he’s opened up to news.com.au about being banned from talking about the “turkey slapping” incident, as well as what he did with the prize money and what he’s up to now.
Q: What made you want to go on Big Brother?
A: “I actually never even intended to. I had never even seen the show before. On the day of the auditions, I had a call from a girl I liked. She was heading down to the auditions in Claremont, Perth, which was the suburb I lived in growing up.
“I walked down to see her and when I got there she was miles down the audition line. The security guards stopped me and said, ‘Mate, you can’t skip the line.’
“I went outside and sat on the grass to wait for her and every now and then I went back to the line to check if she had come out yet.
“Each time I went up there I had a laugh with the security guys and one of them told me he thought I’d be good on the show and that I should audition.
“I was the last person in the audition line that day and then I got in.”
Q: You were on the season that featured the turkey slapping incident. Was that a big deal in the house?
A: “No, it wasn’t at the time, not at all. I remember being shocked the next day by the fallout.
John, who was my best friend in the house, was removed along with Ashley.
“I was in the bed next to them when it happened and I just remember everyone laughing.
“It was such a shame because I thought that if John had stayed in the house he would have won.
“After it was all said and done, I was asked not to comment to any media outlets about any of the details of the incident or to share my views on the subject.
“I dutifully complied but I think by not standing up for my friends at that time it affected our friendship going forward.
“All said and done it was a regrettable incident.”
Q: Describe the night of the finale after the episode finished. Did you party all night?
A: “That was quite the night. After three months of having limited alcohol, I blew the doors off it that evening and for many nights afterwards.
“I mostly remember how amazing it was to see my family. I’d missed them so much.”
Q: In the house you hooked up with Katie Hastings. What happened to your relationship when you got out of the house?
A: “We drifted apart fairly quickly. As part of my contract I immediately started a promotional tour that lasted a couple of months.
“I was doing constant nightclub appearances and it wasn’t the best time to try and manage a relationship. It was too much for both of us.
“I actually ended up going out with the girl from the audition line a few months later.”
Q: What did you do with the prize money and is there any left?
A: “I have it all! I put it straight into property when I moved to Melbourne. Obviously there were some early expenditures but I quickly realised I needed to lock it up somewhere safe.
“I remember I was constantly being asked, ‘What’s the first thing you’re going to buy with the money?’
“When the money appeared in my savings account, the first thing I bought was the new Shannon Noll CD as a bit of a laugh.
“I ended up listening to it constantly and falling in love with it, though.
I met Shannon at the ARIAS in 2006 and I remember telling him, ‘Mate, track 8: Losing It All is your best work,’ to which he replied, ‘Whoa mate, you’re legit, that was my favourite too!’
“I got his number and drunk texted him later that night.
“He never replied.”
Q: What did you get up to after your time in the house?
A: “I moved to Melbourne and started a second degree. I really wanted to be seen as not making an effort to be famous. I wanted to do something professional and there were certainly parts of me that felt embarrassed about my involvement in the show, although I’m comfortable with it now.
“In 2009 I started working in property development sales which brings me to where I am now.”
Q: What are you doing now?
A: “Like, right now? It’s my day off. I’m in my tartan pyjama pants watching Dragons Den on the couch and my dog is crying because he can smell the pork belly I’m cooking.
“Oh and I work for a Melbourne property developer.”
Q: Are you currently single?
A: “Yes.”
Q: Do people still recognise you and if so, what do they say?
A: “They do every so often. I have people mistake me for someone they know or they think they’ve met me before.
“I often get comments like, ‘Mate, did you go to Thornbury high school?’ I often just say yes as it’s too hard to explain sometimes.
“People are always nice these days but there was a bit of venom early on.”
Q: There are ‘revealing’ photos of you on the internet from your time in the house. Does that bother you or are you comfortable with people seeing your body?
A: “It doesn’t really bother me. Some idiot leaked some personal ones which I wasn’t happy about but no one is immune from that these days it seems. I just make a point of never googling my name.”
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