Big Brother icon Helen Adams unrecognisable 22 years after becoming TV legend with signature catchphrase-Robert Oliver-Entertainment – Metro

Helen Adams came second back in the early days of Big Brother (Picture: SplashNews/Getty)

Big Brother is officially returning to British TVs in October, and one of its most famous faces has been spotted out and about in Bristol.

Helen Adams, 45, who joined the second series of Big Brother all the way back in 2001, was initially the bookies’ favourite to be evicted from the house first.

However, she made it all the way to the final after becoming a hit with the viewing public, only losing to Brian Dowling in the final after receiving 37% of the vote.

Famous for her truly unique turns of phrase, the hilarious things that came out of her mouth, such as ‘I love blinking, I do!’ were dubbed ‘Helenisms’ in the media.

She also became known during her time in the house for her romance with fellow housemate and contestant Paul Clarke, despite being in a relationship at the time.

Other famous lines included: ‘How do you blow bubbles?’, ‘A dove is a bird, isn’t it?’, ‘Is there chicken in chickpeas?’, and ‘I spell “magic” with a Meh’.

The mum of two was filling up her car when cameras spotted her (Picture: SplashNews)

Helen has lived a quiet life since she was in the Big Brother house (Picture: SplashNews)

Helen was spotted in Bristol wearing big sunglasses and an Aristocats T-shirt as she filled up for petrol.

The Big Brother icon is still a hairdresser but after her time on the show, she appeared on GMTV, Ready Steady Cook, Loose Women, and even starred as herself in Charlie Brooker horror Dead Set set in the Big Brother house.

Once she and Paul had left the compound, they began a romance that lasted five years, before eventually splitting in 2006 and realising they were better as friends.

Big Brother 2 was eventually won by Brian, with Helen the runner-up (Picture: Getty)

Following the break-up, the two of them backed away from the limelight, with Helen returning to hairdressing and turning down offers for her own reality series.

As for the upcoming ITV series, AJ Odudu, 35, and Will Best, 38, will be on presenting duties – AJ was previously the host of Big Brother’s Bit on the Side.

The series will consist of 36 episodes, which is considerably shorter than the original UK run – the ninth series reached 108 episodes in total.

Big Brother returns to ITV2 in October.

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