Newport builder Craig Phillips imagined he’d go straight back to work after winning the first Big Brother series in 2000.

The star, who has more than 850 TV shows under his belt, now lives in Liverpool but retains close links with Newport.

He recently made a TV programme in the Shropshire market town, filming novice DIY enthusiasts as they tried to learn techniques to improve their homes.

Craig said: “I’d expected to be straight back to work as a builder after winning BB but life just went crazy.

“I donated my £70,000 prize money to a family friend for whom my friends and I had been trying to raise money for a vital operation.”

“In the weeks after BB I received up to 200 offers of work every day, including £250,000 to pose naked for a magazine. I turned that one down.

“My agent said I could either make a quick million, in which case I’d have to be in the media constantly for the next year, or focus on my construction expertise and create a TV career with longevity.

“I chose the latter and 11 years on I’m still doing building but in a different world, on TV.

“I’ve made hundreds of programmes, including two new shows due out soon – Celebrity DIY With Craig Phillips and If It’s Broke, Fix It.

“I also appear as a regular DIY and building expert on shows such as 60 Minute Makeover.”

The 39-year-old DIY expert, whose family moved to Shropshire in the late 1980s, now runs a successful building company and remains in-demand as a TV presenter and personality.

He said: “The TV side of things is great fun. I’m honoured to be able to work on it.”

His favourite TV moment, however, was not winning Big Brother. The highlight was making a programme about British soldiers.

“The stuff I did with the British Forces Broadcasting Services, which was filmed around the world with soldiers, stands out for me from most makeover shows that I’ve done,” he said. “That was more special.”