I like men but would only marry for tax benefits, says Big Brother winner Nadia
IT’S been 20 years since Nadia Almada’s stunning victory on Big Brother, after charming fans with her wit, vulnerability and deep laugh.
But despite changing her raven hair to a bright blond man and using a pseudonym on dating apps, potential suitors still recognize her, a scenario she finds repulsive.
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“I see them get that flash of recognition, and they’ll be like, ‘Oh my God, it’s you! I can’t believe it!'” she reveals.
“It’s fun, but the date ends up being about Nadia from Big Brother instead of me, the way I am now. That’s a real turn-off.”
Nadia fondly recalls living her “best life” in 2004 when she took part in the fifth season of Big Brother, surviving ten weeks of cigarette rations – and even the explosive brawl between the contestants known as “Fight Night” – to win with a record 74 percent of the vote.
She describes her life as divided into two parts: “Before Big Brother and After Big Brother, like before and after Christ.” And she hopes that the next one chapter could be about finding a guy.
“I love a dad body”
Nadia says: “I love men. Men are great, men love me most of the time. But would I ever get married? For the tax benefits, yes! And also for the British passport,” she adds, laughing.
Although she enjoys going on dates, Nadia stresses that she is not looking for a man’s affection by taking part in the contemporary reality TV phenomenon Love Island.
“Also, as an old romantic, I find it horrible how love and sex are depicted. They have become so trivial.
“Maybe I’m too old, because I’m Gen X. I grew up in an era where everything was taboo and we couldn’t talk about it.
“I think my own attitude has changed from when I was a young woman. I used to equate sex with love, but it’s not. Sex is great, but it’s not the same as real intimacy between two people. I value that so much more.”
Nadia, 47, is also not much of a toyboy. She admits she prefers middle-aged men she can relate to, as long as they don’t have one specific trait.
“I love a little bit of a dad bod. I’m totally up for it,” she says, laughing.
“As long as it’s not a full, hairy back, I don’t mind, although laser treatment is an option.
“I like to date men of the same age, no more than five years apart. If I had millions, a gated community, three homes abroad and offshore accounts, yes, I would have a little eye candy.
“I could let them fly for a few weeks and then be left alone. But I don’t have any of that.”
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It’s a classic, brutally candid confession from one of the original reality TV stars — or, as Nadia calls them, “OGs” — who pushed boundaries on season five of the fly-on-the-wall show.
She was the first transgender contestant to move into the house, which the public knew, but her housemates didn’t.
Nadia negotiated the terms of her place with Endemol, who made the programme for Channel 4, stressing that it was her story to tell, not theirs. And she had no intention of being a role model.
She just wanted to live life on her own terms, ultimately – but her overwhelming popularity automatically made her an idol, while at the same time making her feel accepted as a woman.
After leaving home and becoming instantly famous, she says she started dating with some trepidation, but that she “ended up meeting some good people.”
She recalls a man she had a “holiday adventure” with on a trip to South Africa, who later surprised her by flying out to visit her — arriving at her apartment with a large bouquet of red roses.
“I lived on the top floor and I felt like it was my Pretty Woman moment, where Richard Gere is chasing Julia Roberts at the end,” she says, laughing.
But despite her popularity, Nadia no longer lives the life of a celebrity these days, like 2002 winner Kate Lawler and 2010 winner Josie Gibson.
Sometimes I’d like to be a little more vulnerable, like in the show.
Nadia Almada
Although she seized the opportunities that arose following her win, including the release of the single A Little Bit Of Action in 2004, she has largely stayed out of the spotlight.
She trained as a hairdresser with Vidal Sassoon and works for private clients. She still lives in Woking, Surrey, where she settled after leaving the Portuguese island of Madeira as a teenager.
Nadia is honest about not spending her £63,500 winnings wisely. She has splashed the cash on expensive Fendi handbags, designer shoes and five-star holidays. “Sometimes I wish I had been wiser, taken different paths and decisions.
“Sometimes I wish I could be a little more vulnerable, like I was on the show, because it’s hard to ask for help.
“But I found a balance and protected my loved ones.”
Dating as a trans woman has never been an issue for Nadia. She reveals: “I will say that I have never been in a position where being a trans woman has worked against me.
“It’s been the other way around before and I’ve broken up with one or two guys for that reason. I give them honesty. It’s pretty awful, they can’t believe it. They say, ‘But it’s OK for me.’ And I think, ‘I’m not OK.'”
Nadia emphasizes that dating as a trans woman is not much different in general. “Trans women have relationships. Trans women get married. Trans women have children. We are just like everyone else,” she explains.
“We have a very, very happy, fulfilled life, in every way. Granted, I have the ‘privilege’ of being 5’5” so I don’t physically draw attention to myself.
“But again, men are attracted to a lot of things. Trans women are attracted to a lot of things. Cisgender women are attracted to a lot of things. Everyone is attracted to a lot of things.”
As for her relationship status, she states, “I’m dating and I’m happily single. Those things work well for me.
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“I have met many extraordinary men in my life, and they have contributed greatly to the best version of who I am today.
“But I am also very happy being alone and feel very comfortable at home and in my own company.
“Maybe this is a side effect of all the exposure 20 years ago.”
While there’s nothing stopping Nadia, who moved to the UK at 19, from applying for a British passport, she muses instead: “I could live with a man.
“But ideally we would have our own bedrooms so I can sleep in my clean sheets and in my spotless room.
“I like dating men with kids, but I will never be called a ‘stepmom.’ I would rather be a girlfriend with life experience.
“I was never sure I wanted to be a mother, but when my friends started families in their 30s, I got my Yorkshire Terrier, Bebê. He was my heart’s child. He passed away. I still miss him.”
As someone with a lifelong complicated relationship with her body, Nadia says she “hates” the physical changes that come with aging. “I know we’re supposed to embrace every passage of our bodies, but I don’t. It’s horrible,” she sighs.
‘Harder to feel desirable’
“I don’t embrace my FUPA (fatty upper pubic area). I also have a muffin top. When I turned 40 and the pandemic, everything went a little crazy — my body, my skin, my hair. Getting older sucks.
“I am very natural with my hair, because I like a style that is classic, traditional and tres chic. But not for me!
“I’ve had a few things done, like the eyes, and I’m now in talks about a full facelift. I need to lose some more weight first.”
She says her blonde look, a world away from her dark style in Big Brother, is here to stay, adding: “I can’t deal with the white. The silver hair! That’s why I love my blonde.
“As a trans woman, I have of course suffered from gender identity disorder, dysmorphia or whatever you call it these days.
“That being said, I think every woman over 40 goes through a change. It affects us all in different ways.
“I am judged every day on my identity. I am judged every day on my physical condition. I am judged on my age, especially as a woman.
“Men get away with everything. There is huge inequality.
Our sexual attractiveness, our femininity, does not change, but it does seem to become less attractive.
Nadia Almada
“There is almost an invisible cloak hanging over middle-aged women and it is a little more difficult to feel attractive to the opposite sex at the moment.
“Our sexual attractiveness, our womanhood, is not going anywhere, but it seems to be less attractive, less in demand, less desired, especially for white, cisgender, heterosexual men.”
Despite being out of the spotlight for years, Nadia has left a lasting impression on the public.
Megastar singer Adele even spoke about her love for Nadia and her memories of the time she saw her win BB during one of her shows in Las Vegas.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Nadia says. “But when I saw the video, I became hysterically emotional.
“Because I’m a huge fan of hers and for her to recognize me two decades later, this is how symbolic my season was. I’m still waiting for that Vegas invite.”
She added cheekily: “You know, I don’t need the private jet. I’m happy with premium economy.
“Maybe we can work on a duet of A Little Bit Of Action while I’m there?”
