Press Association

Brian: Winning hasn't sunk in yet

Brian Dowling has danced his way out of the Big Brother house as the ultimate housemate.

As he left, an announcement in the house told him: "Brian you are Big Brother's ultimate housemate. You are the winner."

As he walked up the stairs for the final time, Brian said: "I'm going to do this slowly as this is never going to happen again."

He then walked out to the cheers of the crowd and his fellow housemates.

He found it hard to believe he had won, saying: "I'm sure you got it wrong!"

Davina asked him if he had thought about being the winner.

"I believed it last night when I was lying in bed. But because people say it you think it won't happen. And I thought I looked arrogant if I said 'oh well, maybe you're right'. I think if you think it it won't happen.

Asked if he thought he was taking a risk going back in, he said: "I think for me and Nadia it was. For me, Nadia was one of my favourite winners ever, And when that happened (her getting evicted and getting a bad reception when she came out), I thought, my god that could happen to anyone. Thankfully it didn't. I'm here, she's not."

When he wasn't making people laugh in the house, Brian was quizzing them about their lives.

He admitted: "I'm very nosy. I read all those celebrity magazines and I'm obsessed with what goes on in people's lives.

"I'm the nosiest friend. If they're on dates I want to know what's going on, what the person's like."

Asked why he chose to avoid arguments and confrontation in the house, Brian said: "I done the show nine years ago and it was a very different show. And I said to myself if I was going to do it again I had to remember that it was only potentially three weeks of my life.

"If anyone was to have an argument I'd have to walk away because what was the point? It's the last Big Brother ever - I wanted to end it on a positive note."

Davina pointed out that during his two stays in the house, Brian has never faced eviction and has won the show twice.

He quipped: "I've dated lots of men though so it works the other way. I don't get nominated but I'm a s*** boyfriend."

When asked what Big Brother meant to him, he said: "It was life changing. It defined everything I've done in the last nine, 10 years. It's one of the best things I could have ever done because it allowed me to be myself and it allowed other people to accept you for who you are.

"And the show's also about hope. It gives people opportunities to make their life better. And people have voted again... sometimes all you can say is thank you."

Asked how he felt about winning, he said: "I'll probably remember it on Wednesday when I'm watching Coronation Street, I'll say 'yeah, I won!'.

"It'll probably just sink in because right now I just want to get drunk."

He said he had made some great friends in the house - especially Nikki and Chantelle.

He joked: "Nikki is dreadful to sleep with. You just have to kind of talk to Nikki on the same level as my niece... softly.

"And Victor - I think I've got a bit of a crush on Victor."

After his interview and a final send-off to the show and Davina, Brian hugged the host and watched the fireworks, as the last ever Big Brother drew to a close.