JACKIE Travers made Big Brother history by entering the house as one-half of the show's first ever mother-daughter duo.
The dancer teacher, 69, from Hertfordshire, was part of the 2013 reality show's roster – and since then she's rubbed shoulders with Hollywood stars.
While working in the costume department for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Jackie tells us she mingled with celebrities including Alan Titchmarsh, Omid Djalili and Tom Cruise.
She said the Mission Impossible star was "charming and so good-looking in real life" – but admits it led to one mortifying encounter.
Jackie explains: "When Tom arrived I was bowled over. It was the pinnacle of my career so far.
"Everyone was asking him for a selfie and I thought, 'I'm not going to miss out on this'.
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"I went to put my arm around him, but his bodyguard intervened and went ‘No, no, no!’ Despite that he was fantastic.”
Jackie spent five weeks alongside her daughter Charlie in the Big Brother house and describes it as a “surreal experience”.
One of her more memorable moments was when she broke her wrist while doing star jumps and had to leave temporarily to go to A&E.
While in hospital Jackie says she felt compelled to stick to the show's strict rules about having no contact with the outside world.
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10She recalls: “I wasn’t allowed to speak to anybody and I didn’t. I knew if I tried to I probably wouldn’t be allowed back on the show.
“I didn’t want to jeopardise anything so I didn’t even dare to look at anybody or anything.
“I don’t think I opened my mouth except for when the care team asked how my wrist was. It was like I had blinkers on.”
Her injury didn't stop her from choreographing a dance for one task when she got back, which depicted the love triangle between her daughter, Callum Knell and Dexter Koh.
She joked: “Strictly eat your heart out! I did well considering my arm was in plaster. I think my dance depicted that whole story.
“The love triangle was hysterical and didn’t bother me in the slightest, you couldn’t take it seriously.”
'Horrendous task'
During her series the housemates were stunned one morning when they woke up to find actors dressed as zombies hammering on the window outside.
It was part of a ‘virus outbreak’ that ‘infected’ several stars, who then had to live in a quarantine zone until they passed one of Big Brother’s gruelling tasks.
Jackie recalls: “For Jack [Glenny] and I, Big Brother told us we could leave if we had the middle section of our hair completely shaved off. Being a woman, I said, ‘No, I’m not doing that.’
“Quarantine was horrendous, it drove you nuts walking around the room all day. I was almost in tears at one point. It was such a relief to be free.”
Another challenging aspect for the housemates was that they were living in an 'eco-friendly' house and had limited access to electricity.
Jackie recalled: “You had to shower outside and someone literally had to ride a bicycle to pump the water, which was freezing cold.
“You only had a certain amount of time to use the dryer too before Big Brother switched off all of the electrics.
“One day I only managed to dry one side of my hair. The other side was frizzy and horrendous.
“It’s one of those things that get you a bit cross and tearful, but in the grand scheme of things it was a wonderful experience.”
Favourite moment
Jackie was evicted in week five and despite being met with a mixed reception from the crowds, she insists it was her "favourite moment".
At the time it was reported that alongside cheers there was also booing, hissing and some chanting "Get Jackie out!".
Jackie tells us: “I didn’t take any notice of that, it didn’t bother me in the slightest and it went straight over my head. I loved it.
“Even if everyone booed, I would have stood and relished it because you can’t help smiling as you think about the incredible experience.
“It was the most incredible moment standing at the top of the stairs looking down at the crowd. I’d love to relive that experience.”
Long auditions
Jackie's time on Big Brother was something she says she will never forget and she would "100 per cent" jump at the chance to appear again.
The mum believes she and Charlie managed to get on the show due to them having a big argument on their audition tape.
Jackie said: “The row started after I told Charlie I’d like to do the cooking in the house. She yelled ‘For God's sake Mum’ and we argued a lot."
She says the auditions were exciting but a long process that took place over several months, while the team looked for big characters to appear on the show.
Jackie explained: “We went back month after month for audition after audition where we met other potential housemates.
I didn’t take any notice of the boos, it didn’t bother me in the slightest and it went straight over my head. I loved it
“In one there were around 30 of us in a room and we were asked questions. We didn’t have to do any tasks or challenges.
“They were mixing and matching us together. I think they were looking to see who would get on and who wouldn't.
“They wanted some people who were outrageous and some who would argue – that was Charlie and I."
Ahead of the show being rebooted on ITV2 this autumn, she warns upcoming housemates it's going to be "extremely emotional".
She tells us: “Before going in, you think 'I won’t cry' but you do. Your emotions get the better of you and there are a lot of highs and lows.”
‘I couldn't go anywhere'
Back in the real world, Jackie enjoyed taking selfies and chatting with fans but says at times it got a little intense.
"I couldn’t go anywhere, nor could Charlie and the others," she recalled.
"It got to the point where if I walked down the street and no one stopped me, I thought ‘What is going on here?’
“Even when I flew abroad and was waiting to collect my bags, a couple of people said, ‘Are you Jackie from Big Brother?’”
Even now strangers tell her they feel like they've seen her before.
She added: “When people stop me in the street, they expect me to say the show was horrendous and are surprised when I say I loved every second.”
Jackie says one of the most common questions is whether she “forgot the cameras are there” – to which the answer is a firm no.
She said: “You learn not to take any notice of them and eventually you don’t care that the cameras are always following you.
“People have seen me at my worst – like when I had just woken up with bed hair and no make-up but I don’t mind, that’s real and how it should be.”
Celebrity gig
After her stint on the TV, Jackie returned to her normal jobs working as a dance instructor, property developer and railway tour manager.
Her daughter Charlie went on to travel to Los Angeles, to follow her dream of becoming a TV presenter or an actress.
Charlie appeared on the US TV show Hollywood Medium as the driver and confidant of psychic Tyler Henry for three years until 2019.
For a time, she also dated Kyland Young, who appeared on America’s Big Brother in 2021.
Meanwhile, Jackie recently released a music video for her song St Tropez, which she hopes could be a No1 and is due to be remixed by DJs.
She has also raised £3,000 for charity trekking Machu Picchu, the Great Wall of China and Toubkal, the highest mountain in South Africa.
When asked if she would consider a return to Big Brother, she tells us: “Absolutely, I loved every single second in the house.
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“But they don’t want any old housemates. Maybe they will change their mind and bring me on to sing my song St Tropez.”
You can listen to Jackie Travers’ song St Tropez on Spotify or watch the music video on YouTube.
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