Craig Phillips | |
|---|---|
 Phillips in 2011 | |
| Born | (1971-10-16)16 October 1971 (age 53) Liverpool, England |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Television | Big Brother 1 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Craig Phillips (born 16 October 1971) is an English television personality and builder. He is known for winning thefirst series ofBig Brother in 2000.[1] He is trained as a bricklayer, and has appeared in numerous television series related to building since winningBig Brother.
The younger of two children and born inLiverpool, his family moved toNewport, Shropshire, in the late 1980s. At 18, Phillips secured a day release bricklayers apprenticeship whilst employed withWrekin Council's construction department. He also attended further night school classes in advanced brickwork and civil engineering. Having qualified with aCity & Guilds, Phillips went on to set up his own building company. In the 1990s, he presentedRenovation Street withLinda Robson for Carlton ITV before being brought in as theDIY expert for theBBC on an exclusive contract in 2001.
After leavingBig Brother as the first winner, Phillips announced he was giving his £70,000 prize fund to his friend Joanne Harris, who hadDown syndrome, to pay for her heart and lung transplant. He had begun raising money with friends for Harris sometime before enteringBig Brother, raising only small amounts of money towards the £250,000 needed for her operation, but within 6 days of winning, he achieved the target required for her life saving operation thanks to public support and donations from celebrities. Harris died in April 2008.[2] He has featured in comedy seriesBo' Selecta! and appeared in the reality seriesBack to Reality, raising £40,000 for Macmillan Cancer Trust.[3]
At Christmas 2000, Phillips released the charity single, "At This Time of Year" throughWarner Music. The single went to Number 14 in theUK Singles Chart,[4] achieving silver disc status, and raising over £40,000 for theDown's Syndrome Association. It stayed in the top 40 for three weeks. Since then, he appeared in videos for two other Xmas singles –Bo Selecta!'s Proper Crimbo which reached No. 4 in 2003 andRicky Tomlinson's"Christmas My A*se" which reached 25 in 2006.[citation needed] In 2001, Phillips appeared onLily Savage's Blankety Blank;[5] in 2003, Phillips appeared on the fifth series ofFort Boyard.
Phillips has presented numerous televisions programmes, includingHousecall,Housecall in the Country,Builders Sweat and Tears,Our House,Trading Up,Big Strong Boys,Boyz in the Wood,Big Strong Boys in the Sun,Renovation Street,Trading Up in the Sun,House Trap andCraig’s Trade Tips. He also has a production company called Avent Productions.[6] For Avent, he has presentedConversion; a 10-part series forDiscovery Realtime, and the sixth series ofHung, Drawn & Broke, a 6-part series filmed forBritish Forces Broadcasting Service. The company also produces corporate productions many of these for building companies. In 2007, Phillips joined the team of60 Minute Makeover forITV. He appeared in 80 episodes in 2008.[citation needed]
In February 2009, Phillips appeared inAnt & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway in "Escape from Takeaway Prison" for six weeks. In summer 2009, he released his debut autobiography. In July 2009, Phillips returned to theBig Brother house to help celebrate the show's tenth anniversary. In 2010, Phillips appeared onBig Brother again, and competed in a shed building task. He also appeared inDermot's Last Supper, a special to celebrate the ending ofBig Brother. In April 2011, he hosted a show calledCelebrity DIY with Craig Phillips forHome. In June 2011, he also hostedIf It's Broke, Fix It for Home.[citation needed]
In June 2020, he made a guest appearance onBig Brothers's Best Shows onE4, where he talked about watching his series back.[7]
Since 2018, Phillips has worked as a presenter for his own YouTube channel Mr and Mrs DIY, covering a variety of essential home and garden maintenance jobs through easy-to-follow online tutorials.[8]
In 2018, Phillips married Laura Sherriff atPeckforton Castle, Cheshire, after the couple had dated for two years.[9] Rather than asking for gifts from guests, he and Sherriff asked that the attendants donate to hospice charities instead.[10] The couple have two children: Nelly (born March 2019),[11] and Lennon (born December 2020).[12] The couple featured in Channel 5's (S1 Ep1) "Millionaire Age Gap Love" in 2020.[13]
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