[Amy]

BIG Brother fans everywhere are getting set for the return of the hit reality television show.

But for one Peterborough family, Big Brother has never gone away – it has even entered their bathroom.

Structural engineer Noel McLaughlin is project manager for the Big Brother house in Elstree Studios, Herts.

As a result, he has a spa bath used in past programmes installed in the family home.

Now anyone looking to move could end up owning the spa bath which was used by Mark Owen, Les Dennis and Melinda Messenger in Celebrity Big Brother, and Kate Lawler, Jade Goody and Alex Sibley in Big Brother Three – as the McLaughlin family home is up for sale.

Mr McLaughlin, who has worked on the house for three years, designed the luxury home in Hampton Vale, Hampton, Peterborough.

The bath sits in one of three bathrooms and is enjoyed by Mr McLaughlin, his wife Kim and their five children, 20-year-old twins Shaun and Neil, Caolan (11), Abaigeal (10) and Connor (8).

The house was designed from scratch and project managed by Mr McLaughlin, with the family moving in last August.

But now they are looking to build again.

Mrs McLaughlin, who owns The Hair and Body Company, in Dogsthorpe Road, Peterborough, said: "We have really enjoyed building the house.

"It was fun watching it go up and choosing all the fittings. We are planning to build another house once we have sold this one."

While the family has been concentrating on selling the house, Mr McLaughlin has been hard at work getting the Big Brother property ready for when the new series starts at the end of the month.

He said: "I have been doing the changes to the Big Brother house this year and looking after the building. All the changes have to be to building regulations and safety standards, which I have been overseeing."

Mr McLaughlin said he was sworn to secrecy over the new-look house for Big Brother Five.

He said: "I risk pain of death if I tell you any secrets. If you saw the contract I have to sign – it's worse than the Official Secrets Act.

"I can tell you it has had walls knocked down and has been re-modelled, so it will look completely different."


Luxury home on the market for £550,000

The McLaughlin family's five-bedroom house is on the market with Peterborough's Carter Jonas, for £550,000.

The house has a total of 150 windows, 100 square meters of decking and three bathrooms.

It is one of seven new individually designed properties in the private road in Hampton Vale.

Kate Lawler won the third series of Big Brother, and enjoyed the use of the spa bath.

The new series of Big Brother starts Friday, May 28.

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