After six weeks of tears, tantrums, Diary Room rants, and epic shopping tasks, we have our winner of Big Brother 2024.
Tonight hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best announced that history had been made as forensic psychologist Ali Bromley was declared victorious, taking home the life-changing sum of money of £90,000.
This means Ali, 38, is not only the oldest-ever female winner of the beloved reality show but also its first-ever lesbian winner in the UK.
Having rocketed up the betting odds in recent days, Ali beat fellow finalists Marcello Spooks, Segun Shodipo, Hanah Haji, Nathan King, and Emma Morgan to join 2023 champ Jordan Sangha in the BB Hall of Fame.
The final of the second series of ITV’s revival began with the remaining housemates being evicted one by one, walking out to a rowdy live audience as the public vote reopened in short intervals. In total, over five million votes were cast tonight.
Segun finished in sixth place, having received the fewest public votes to win.
Nathan then came fifth, Hanah came fourth, and Emma earned bronze in third.
That left just two, with tensions through the roof as both Marcello and Ali waited with bated breath to hear who had taken the crown.
As Ali’s name was read out, the ‘Red Witch’ was visibly stunned, the crowd outside erupting into cheers and applause.
Speaking in her winner’s interview, after learning she had received a whopping 51.9% of the votes, Ali said she believes people backed her for being ‘authentic’ and not having a ‘game plan’.
Reflecting on the relationships she formed in the house, Ali declared Lily Benson, 20, her ‘little sister’, having melted viewers’ hearts with their wholesome friendship.
‘What’s not to love? She’s authentic, she’s genuine, she’s free, I think everybody could be a little bit more Lily,’ Ali said.
She went on to admit it was ‘really difficult’ to remain in the house when those she had bonded with left, having contemplated walking out early doors.
‘I felt it very heavily and I felt really anxious about having to branch out and talk to people I hadn’t spoken to so much in the beginning.’
Having felt ‘alone’ and ‘ostracised’ at times over the past few weeks, Ali was praised by AJ and Will for being open about being neurodivergent.
‘The other housemates probably looked at me with a mixture of bemusement and horror, but anyone who is neurodiverse will have just been like, oh yeah, that’s how I feel. I don’t always know how to navigate social situations; sometimes I get anxious, sometimes I look a bit rude but I’m actually not thinking anything in my mind… hopefully that’s something they can connect to.’
Ali also spoke on her tumultuous relationship with runner-up Marcello, having called him out on several occasions for inappropriate comments, such as sharing his ‘masturbatory habits’ with the group unsolicited and once lying about ‘kissing’ her in the smoking area.
‘I think that, if we didn’t have to live together, potentially, we could get on quite well. I think there are parts of Marcello that I love, that the public will have seen.
‘He is sweet, he is genuinely himself… we’re just very different. Maybe like oil and water. Not good in a house together, but maybe for a drink, we’ll be fine.’
Taking to social media after the result was revealed, viewers expressed their joy for Ali’s victory.
X user frosty96_ wrote: ‘ali winning with a 51.9% landslide is amazing. i am so proud of her. in the face of lots of judgement from people and people not understanding her, she’s come full circle. she is class personified. absolutely love her’.
‘Ali Bromley is the winner of Big Brother 2024 despite being labelled a manipulator and a narcissist, despite everyone trying to ruin her experience, our neurodivergent queen persevered and I’m proud to have been on the Ali train since launch night! Congratulations,’ praised mindironalia.
‘From navigating alliances to surviving fierce competition, Ali’s journey was full of strategy, twists, and unforgettable moments. A well-deserved win!’, added BBNutters.
The final week of Big Brother has been dramatic, to say the least—and we wouldn’t have had it any other way.
A shocking – and somewhat unpopular – twist introduced us to Big Brother’s Vault, which first of all sent Rosie Williams – aka Baked Potato – packing in an unexpected backdoor eviction.
That task also saw the prize fund reduce by £10,000, which went straight into Segun’s pocket. So, he may not have won tonight, but he didn’t do too badly in the end…
The Vault reopened just one day later and left four more housemates vulnerable. Ultimately, it was Sarah Griffiths and Thomas Atkinson who were shown the door.
This gave us our final six, all of whom have had a rocky side inside the walls of the famous complex.
Speaking during their final dinner last night, each housemate delivered a speech to reflect on their journeys.
‘I’ve come in here expecting to not really get on with anyone. I’ve ended up really liking everyone,’ Nathan told his fellow housemates with a smile.
Ali added: ‘I’m so, so grateful to be here at the final table and to have gone through everything that I’ve gone through with you guys.’
‘You’ve made me feel comfortable, you’ve made me feel at home, and you’ve all been a very special part of this journey,’ Marcello said.
Segun also reflected on the ‘crazy’ moments he’s had, while Emma said she will proudly remember the experience ‘until the day I die.’
Hundreds of thousands of devout BB fans have tuned in each night for the past six weeks for a drama-filled series.
We’ve had it all, from scandals surrounding ITV editing out pro-Palestine t-shirts to our first warning for a joke made with racial connotations by Sarah.
Marcello was accused of both predatory and homophobic behaviour, Nathan and Rosie got their smooch on by striking up an unlikely romance, and a phone call from Ali’s girlfriend gave us the biggest chaotic mess since David’s dead thanks to Lily.
So, all in all, classic Big Brother!
And what’s even more exciting is that the social experiment has been renewed by ITV and will return in 2025, with both a second celebrity series and a third civilian outing to mark 25 years since BB first hit screens in the UK.
With applications open, we’re already buzzing to do it all over again.
Catch up with Big Brother 2024 on ITVX.
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