Jul 22 2005
icSouthampton
By Sarah Bailey
THE FAMILY of Big Brother evictee Vanessa have spoken of their disgust at the show's cruel twist that saw her booted out.
The 19-year-old from Thornhill Road, Croydon, was left in floods of tears after her fellow housemates, instead of the public, were forced to choose who was evicted.
In an excruciating ballot, all the housemates except bellydancer Kemal chose Vanessa over fellow housemate Makosi.
This week her father, Joesph Layton-McIntosh, told the Advertiser that it might have made good TV but his daughter deserved better.
He said: "It was very cruel twist on the part of Big Brother, but it's a television show and I suppose they have to do what they think will get good viewing figures.
"We have been given the public voting figures and Vanessa got 26 per cent while Makosi got 48 per cent. It should be the public who decides who goes, and it would have been Makosi any other week. It's a disgrace."
Business student Vanessa spent seven weeks in the house before her attempt at winning the £100,000 prize money came to a sudden and shocking end.
During her time on the show she was criticised for eating too much and sleeping all the time, but her dad says the public still haven't seen the real Vanessa.
He said: "When she came out they were trying to make her eat chocolate and things like that, but what people have to realise is that Big Brother is edited to show her that way. We are not pleased about it but you take these risks when you go on the show.
"She has no regrets at all about doing it. It has been a great experience and we're very proud of her. She held it together in her interview with Davina and did fantastically well. She didn't say anything bad about the other housemates which everyone else has done."
Appearing with her family on Big Brother's Little Brother after her eviction, Vanessa confessed that she had felt overshadowed by the larger-than-life characters in the house.
She said: "I went feeling very confident, but when I got there there were so many other big personalities in there I just didn't feel I could be myself. I just went quiet, although in the last couple of weeks I have felt more confident."
Since her eviction she has been kept busy with numerous radio interviews and TV appearances and was out in Croydon yesterday (Thursday) signing autographs.
Her dad said: "Since she's been out she's been shopping and clubbing and she's back to being the Vanessa we know. She needs to have some fun at the moment and I'm thinking of taking her to Nando's soon because it's her favourite restaurant.
"Vanessa is obviously very busy at the moment with different offers, but ultimately she's looking at getting into work as a children's TV presenter."
Former Croydon High pupil Vanessa, who also attended Old Palace, did three A-levels at Archbishop Tenison's School, in Selborne Road.When she went into the Big Brother house she had just completed exams at the end her first year studying business at Brunel University. She lives with her parents, two younger sisters and her 18-year-old cousin Solayr.
A spokeswoman for Channel 4 said: "We believe the highlights programme fairly reflects life inside the Big Brother house. And for anyone who is unsure, we have E4 streaming which shows live coverage of the house 24/7."
* Sexy Sam Heuston is still making the most of her new found fame, and was snapped coming out of a clothing launch at a posh London nightclub last week.
The 23-year-old, originally from Thornton Heath, has already appeared in several magazine photoshoots since her eviction in week three.
