Kate Lawler admits she 'wasn't sensible' after Big Brother win

Marking history as the first ever female Big Brother winner, Kate Lawler pocketed a whopping £70,000 after her time on the reality TV show back in 2002. She appeared on the third ever series, which was aired on Channel 4 at the time, as she became a decent amount richer at the age of just 22 - but where did the money go?

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, the now 45-year-old shared what it was like standing next to stage with host Davina McCall as she was declared that year's winner and what she spent the prize fund on. Kate said: "I put all of my prize money into buying a flat and I still have that money in this house. I was very sensible with the prize money. I wasn't very sensible with the money I earned afterwards but I was very sensible with my prize money." When asked what it was like to see the life-changing money hit her bank, Kate replied: "It definitely didn't feel real. I was looking at my bank balance like 'this can't be real'. It was only when I purchased my flat that I was like 'wow, this is really something'.

"I remember Davina McCall, as we came out [of the Big Brother house] and I was on the stage when I'd won, she was like 'there's the bank of Big Brother and there's the bank of Kate', and it showed £70,000 going across. But I was just like 'oh my God, is that the photo you used of me?' It wasn't computing that I had just won £70,000.

"It was really weird. I didn't think about the money that I'd won. But it was really important to me that I'd won it because I was reallt desperate to move out of my parents' house but I couldn't do that without a deposit. So that was my deposit for a flat."

Kate has recently teamed up with Pooch and Mutt to help with a campaign to ensure dogs can have better gut health. Considering that 70% of a dog's immune system is linked to their gut microbiome, understanding how it works and how to keep it healthy is essential for supporting their overall wellbeing.

Pooch & Mutt has launched a new Gut Health Test which can easily be done at home - and Kate's two dogs, Shirley and Baxter, were some of the first to try it out.

Speaking about why she got involved, Kate said: "I will do anything if it is going to benefit my dog's health. Baxter, my eldest dog, has been really poorly over the last two years. He had three bouts of pancreatitis and he almost died with that.

"So I thought it'd be interesting to see how his health is now, especially considering that we had to change his diet completely. But now he's in good shape for his age. The results from the gut test came back and I was really surprised because it showed his previous conditions but now he's really healthy so that's great."

The results of the test might mean that an owner needs specific supplements to get their dog back on track. The Pooch & Mutt Gut Health Supplement range has been specifically designed to address microbiome-related imbalances in dogs. The range includes: Gut Detoxifier, Gut-Joint Matrix, Microbiome Support, Immunity Support, Fibre Support, Multivitamin Complex and Gut-Skin Support and is offered as a bespoke plan based on their dog's gut health results.