Wolverhampton make-up artist 'in it to win it' as she enters Big Brother house
A make-up artist from Wolverhampton who has already appeared on our screens in Blankety Blank and Come Dine With Me has now entered the Big Brother house.
ITV aired the first episode of the rebooted series, which was axed by Channel 5 in 2018, on Sunday night with the show's biggest viewing figures in over a decade.
And one of the 16 contestants who entered the Big Brother house in a bid to win a £100,000 cash prize was 50-year-old Farida.
Before entering the house, Farida told presenters AJ Odudu and Will Best that she was "in it to win it", with Best describing the crowd's reaction to Farida as "deafening" while Odudu said "I'm loving Farida already".
The 50-year-old, who used to be a holiday rep in Gran Canaria and Menorca, said that she wanted to join the Big Brother house because Asian culture and Asian women are "underrepresented on TV".
She said: "A lot of people think that wearing a headscarf might stop you from having opportunities, whereas for me, it's been completely the opposite. I embrace it with confidence and it's actually given me lots of opportunities.
"I want to let people know that us Muslims, we really aren't suppressed. I'm far from suppressed - I used to be a holiday rep.
"I'm a very proud Muslim, I love praying and I practice it five times a day. Going into the Big Brother house I will still be practicing my faith, I will still be covering my hair, dressing modestly, practicing what I believe in."
Farida, who got married at the age of 43, added: "I live with my wonderful husband. He actually proposed to me without me even meeting him.
"I'm 50-years-old and I love embracing my age because with age comes wisdom."
When asked what she'd do with the prize money if she won, Farida said: "I’d probably invest in setting up online training courses to teach hair and makeup.
"I'll need to be smart and invest it properly because, don't forget, I'm a businesswoman."
And when asked what would make other housemates nominate her, she replied: "People will nominate me because they feel intimidated by the fact that I've got potential to win this, it’s as simple as that."
Another candidate from the West Midlands is Dylan, a 39-year-old DJ from Coventry, who was in a car accident in 2014 and decided to have his leg amputated after three years of pain.
Dylan said he appeared on a TV show called The Last Leg about amputees two years before he lost his leg.
