Long time Big Brother fans were prepared for the drama when Tully Smyth and Anthony (Drew) re-entered the house nine years after their controversial on-screen romance.
Although they’re friends outside the house, the pair had their fair share of arguments while in the game. And Tully had two goals in the competition – to outlast Drew, and to make it to the top 10.
Last night, her dream had the potential to either be realised or shattered as she, her ex-boyfriend Drew, and new housemate Johnson were placed up for eviction.
In the end, Tully just missed out on a spot in the top 10 as she received the most votes and exited the house.
Speaking to TV WEEK following her exit, the influencer attests that while Drew received the “heartthrob role” in the show, it’s different for women.
“Guys are always way more flattered on these shows than females. You didn’t get any kind of heartthrob status,” she says.
WATCH: Big Brother’s Ben gets caught in between Tully and Drew’s argument. Article continues after video
The reality star goes on to confess that one of her “biggest concerns” returning to the show was how viewers would react to her physical appearance.
“To be honest with you, one of my biggest concerns coming back this time around was the criticism I might get on my appearance. It’s been nine years, I’ve changed. My body has changed,” she says.
“I’m not this gangly, lanky, Bambi that I was at 25-years-old and I was terrified. I was terrified about people commenting, ‘she looks so much older’ or ‘she’s put on weight’ or ‘she’s not as pretty as she was’.”
Tully adds that “having that comparison” to nine years ago was one of her “biggest fears”.
As an influencer, Tully has total control over the content she shares of herself online – and that control was completely taken away when she entered the Big Brother house.
“My job is to have this perfectly curated feed and I get to pick and choose which photos I share… going on television, I had no control in the shots they were going to use, and it was rough.
“It was tough watching some of the shots. I was really, really hard on myself about how I looked. I was like, ‘oh my God, I’ve got a double chin’ or ‘I look so puffy’… I’ve been self-conscious.”