Big Brother star has barely aged a day 23 years after finding fame-Kitty Chrisp-Entertainment – Metro

Zoe Birkett appeared on Pop Idol in 2001 and came fourth (Picture: Fremantle Media/REX/Shutterstock)

Zoe Birkett is 39-years-old but has hardly aged a day since she appeared on Big Brother and Pop Idol in the 00s.

The star found fame on Pop Idol in 2001 when she was placed fourth at the age of 16. Zoe then released a Top 20 single, Treat Me Like a Lady, which reached number 12.

She finished behind eventual winner Will Young, runner-up Gareth Gates and the late Darius Danesh, who died in 2022 at the age of 41.

Zoe would go on to support Will and Gareth on their tour, but was swiftly dropped from her label, 19 Recordings, after her release failed to set the charts on fire.

In an interview with the BBC in 2003, when asked about the future, she said: ‘I just want to be a successful artist, have respect, be a nice person and good at my job. I also like to try out acting, I don’t know if I’d be any good but I’d like to try.’

Little did Zoe realise she would be back on screens for a totally different reason -as a contestant on non-celebrity Big Brother in 2014.

She was beaten only by Will Young, Gareth Gates, and the late Darius Danesh (Picture: Fremantle Media/REX/Shutterstock)

She then appeared here on Big Brother in 2014 (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)

Now, Zoe is enjoying appearing in Tina: The Tina Turner: The Musical on the West End as the River Deep Mountain High star, who died in 2023 aged 83.

Since 2009, she’s performed in other West End musicals including Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Thriller Live, The Bodyguard, Moulin Rouge, the Bake Off musical and The Witches at the National last year.

When she was 14 Zoe was diagnosed with osteoarthritis – a degenerative disease causing pain, stiffness, and swelling – making her musical CV all the more impressive.

The stage star first knew something was wrong when her left hit came out of its socket, and she had pins inserted to keep it in place.

‘It was a terrible shock,’ she told The Express in a recent interview.

In 2024 Zoe has hardly aged a day (Picture: Lia Toby/Getty Images)

She is starring on the West End as Tina Turner in the musical (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

She’s also faced a number of West End musicals, and has carved herself out a successful stage career (Picture: Shane Anthony Sinclair/Getty Images)

‘I’d been dancing since the age of three and now the surgeon was telling me I’d never dance again.

‘After 18 months, the pins were removed and I learned to live with the pain, a perpetual dull ache that just became a part of my life.’

Having entered the Big Brother house on day 40, Zoe struggled to form strong enough connections to other housemates and was evicted on day 58 to a mixed reaction from the audience.

In her exit interview with Emma Willis for the reality TV show – which is back on our screens again – Zoe said it’d been ‘really hard’ for her not being able to talk to her family.

‘I would have loved to have gone through the end,’ she said, admitting: ‘I think emotionally I’m a lot stronger than some of them in there, dealing with reactions from crowds.’

On being evicted by the other housemates, she explained: ‘It was really hard. Everyone’s got bonds, everyone’s got relationships.’

Big Brother continues on Sunday at 9pm from ITV2 and ITVX.

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