Alex Piece in paper
 

ALEX SIBLEY'S five minutes of fame have lasted a little longer than many of his Big Brother housemates – even though he admits he doesn't crave the celebrity lifestyle.
Alex, 24, from Hornchurch, is still a familiar sight on our TV screens, presenting cable and satellite shows and he has been able to pick and choose from the numerous offers of work since appearing on Channel 4's Big Brother 3 in the summer of 2002.
The former model became famous for his good looks, which won him an army of adoring female fans, and for his cleanliness in the BB house, and he has emerged as one of the most memorable contestants from the popular reality TV show.
This week the Recorder caught up with Alex for a chat about life after Big Brother.
He says although he knew the programme would get a lot of exposure, he had no desire to be really famous in the first place.
"Some of the group who were in the house with me were desperate to be famous and their friends were shooting their mouths off about things, but I just kept quiet.
"Although fame is nice, I don't have a killer instinct for it."
He says because he is now recognised by many people, it has made him wary about going out.
"I'm not really a local person when it comes to going out. I'm not a big pub goer; it's not really my scene. I don't drink much alcohol and I prefer going to the smaller unknown clubs in London.
"You find some people like you and others don't. I don't play on my recognition but sometimes it's nice when you get the perks.
"The only drawback of doing Big Brother was that my parents were also dragged in to it, which I regret. Also the national press print all kinds of rubbish, like I've been a porn star or that I've had boyfriends. It's ridiculous but I've learnt to cope with it."
It was Alex's enthusiasm for cleanliness in the house that really got people talking.
But he told the Recorder: "They (the BB producers) seemed to make the most of my cleaning. I'm not that obsessive, I just looked so clean because some of my housemates were so dirty."
Alex, who is half German, had already had a small taste of fame before the programme, thanks to a series of lucrative modelling contracts, including an Armani advert.
And he thinks this line of work actually helped him cope with the pressures of being in the house.
He said: "With modelling you have to go through a lot of rejection and people don't even tell you why they don't want you, so I was prepared for any rejection in Big Brother."
During the interview it became apparent that there are no airs and graces with Alex. Perhaps his success has partly been down to the fact that he is an honest, level-headed and down-to-earth person who realises his moment of fame could come crashing down at any minute.
"With reality TV you're here one minute and gone the next," he says.
But since leaving the house he has been working hard and trying to adjust to his new life. He has been involved in several TV programmes, including live shows on children's satellite channel Nickelodeon, which he described as "nerve-racking".
And one of the first jobs he was offered after Big Brother was to appear on the TV car show Driven.
Passionate
"I am passionate about cars and I would probably be just as happy being a car salesman because of my love for cars," he says.
"I was given an Austin Princess and had to ask the public what they thought of it. I even got to meet Jay Kay from the pop group Jamiroquai. That was probably one of my best days as I got to spend time with him after the cameras stopped rolling.
"I am a real car nut and would love to be given my own programme to test drive cars."
He says there will be no more reality TV for him. "Reality TV is just a phase. People are obsessed with what other people are doing, but I'm sick of these shows to an extent. I mean, I'm grateful for the opportunities BB provided me, but it's getting stale now. They need to revamp it."
Although he got on well with most of his housemates, he says he doesn't see much of the others now at all.
His latest venture is with ITV1's Everything Must Go, for which he is selling his beloved car, Beetle Betty.
He said: "I've had it for three years and now I'm getting older I'm going for a different look."
I'm sure this will not be the last we see of Alex on our TV screens

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