Flocking to Sportsbet, Big Brother viewers have placed their bets on returning housemate Reggie Bird to be victorious, with odds of 1.75 on both Sportsbet and TAB.
Predicted runner ups include Jaycee Edwards and Big Brother super-fan Johnson Ashak, with odds of 2.20 and 6.00 on Sportsbet, respectively.
It makes sense that fans are convinced Reggie will beat out the other housemates, considering she’s done it before in 2003 – winning $250,000 in prize money.
But the triumph hasn’t come with boundless glitz and glamour, with the star having had quite the harrowing journey since leaving the reality show.
Just a year after her season of Big Brother, Reggie was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa and is now legally blind. "I've lost my peripheral vision and I’ve got 10 degrees of central vision left. I have no night vision," she said during The Daily Edition in 2016.
Reggie also suffered a stroke in 2017 as a result of a heart condition.
"They told me I have a hole in my heart. I was literally heartbroken. But it makes sense now, why I'm always so tired and unwell, and what caused my stroke last year," she divulged to Woman’s Day the following year.
Unfortunately, the health conditions extend past Reggie’s own, with her youngest son Lucas grappling with cystic fibrosis.
Reggie welcomed her first child, Mia, four years after Big Brother with her second husband, Dale Sorensen. Three years after that, the couple had Lucas.
The mother has previously explained to Now To Love that the condition comes with daily physiotherapy and medication to help Lucas digest food and break down mucus from his lungs.
"It's mentally and physically draining on Lucas so I have to stay strong for him. It's a constant battle to try to get weight on him so he has to drink supplements and have a diet high in calories and fat. I hope he will live past the 37 years of expected time.”
As well as dealing with the financial aspects that come with these health conditions, Reggie was also financially burdened.
"I left everything and moved to Sydney. I couldn't get a job for about two years after the show because no one would take me seriously. I spent all the money I had left on rent…” Reggie told news.com.au’s Not Here To Make Friends podcast.
WATCH: Reggie Bird on Big Brother 2022 (Article continues after video)
What’s more, after a man reportedly claimed to be a TV producer with the means to fund the pilot of a new travel show she was to star in, Reggie forked over $40,000 to the fraud.
"I thought it was legit. He said he didn't have money and asked to borrow five grand and another five grand and then it all snowballed," she told the podcast.
The Big Brother alum even nearly faced eviction in 2017, telling her story to Woman's Day.
“I’m so scared. One day your kids are cuddled up and warm and safe and just like that, it could all be gone. I owe my kids a warm bed and a safe house, that's not too much to ask, is it?
“It's hard to believe I became known as the girl who survived multiple evictions in the Big Brother house, to 14 years later be faced with the real thing,” she added. "I’ve been having nightmares ever since, wondering where we're going to go.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit their website.
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