Regina Sorensen

Regina "Reggie" Sorensen (formerly Bird; born 19 March 1974)[1][2] is an Australian television personality best known for being a contestant on and winning the third and fourteenth seasons of Big Brother Australia in 2003 and 2022 respectively, and is the only contestant to win in the series twice.[3]

Regina Sorensen
Sorenson in 2022
Born
Regina Bird

(1974-03-19) 19 March 1974
Hobart, Tasmania
Other namesReggie
OccupationTV personality
Known forThe only dual winner of Big Brother Australia, Contestant and winner of Big Brother 3 and Big Brother 14

Small in stature with an unusual nasal intonation, she earned public admiration with her down-to-earth charm, strong work ethic, and naivety. She was the first Big Brother contestant to win twice (2003 and 2022 respectively). "Go Reggie" bumper stickers were a big hit in Tasmania in 2003.[4]

Sorensen was included in Hobart newspaper The Mercury's list of "Tassie's Top 200" movers and shakers in 2007.[5]

Career
The fish and chip shop in Cambridge which Bird used to own

In late 2003, Sorensen signed up with manager Harry M. Miller and filmed a pilot for a TV show which never made it to air.[6] Later she appeared as a contestant on 2005 Nine Network celebrity skating competition series Skating on Thin Ice. From December 2004 to May 2005 she worked for airline Virgin Blue as a flight attendant – her "dream job" – although she resigned claiming she had been bullied by her colleagues.[7]

Big Brother

In 2003, Sorensen won third season of Big Brother with 72% of the final vote, the biggest margin in a Big Brother finale to date, in addition to being the first female winner of the Australian show.

Sorensen was involved in the week 12 task on season 9 of Big Brother 9 in 2012. She was one of several former housemates that entered the house to try to get the current housemates to fail their weekly task, which was to ignore everyone who entered the house that was not a housemate.

In 2022, Sorensen entered Big Brother 14 as one of eight returning housemates. She was one of three former winners to enter the house, alongside Big Brother 4 winner Trevor Butler and Big Brother 10 winner Tim Dormer. She was ultimately crowned the winner of Big Brother for a second time, where she spent a total of 148 days in the house (in both seasons). She became the fifth contestant in the world to win the show twice and the first person to do so in Big Brother Australia, also she was the first female winner of Big Brother since Terri Munro won the eighth and final season on Network Ten in 2008.[2]

Personal life

Before appearing in Big Brother in 2003, Bird and her husband Adrian managed a fish and chip shop in Cambridge, Tasmania.[8] Their marriage ended shortly after the season finale.

She spent some time residing in Sydney and later Melbourne. She now lives in Queensland. In 2007, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter with her second husband, Dale Sorensen.[9][10] In 2009, she gave birth to a son, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at four weeks old.[11]

In 2005, Bird lost $40,000 to a conman who claimed to be a television producer where she paid him the money to fund the pilot of a travel show she would appear in.[12] She has also been a victim of stalking.[13]

Health

In 2008 she underwent emergency surgery arising from an ectopic pregnancy and was also declared legally blind after having been diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa, a rare hereditary eye disease that may lead to blindness. She had lost 90% of her central vision. About her condition, she states "I've now lost all of my peripheral vision, I have no night vision. I could wake up tomorrow and it's going to be gone".[14]

In 2017, Sorensen suffered from a stroke caused by a heart condition.[11]

She was interviewed by 60 Minutes in July 2009, during which she discussed her ongoing degenerative eye condition and her second child due in August 2009.[15] She has also appeared on The Daily Edition in 2016 to discuss her illness.[11]

References
  1. Richards, Blair (17 December 2009). "Reggie's bionic eye hope". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  2. Christmass, Pip (25 April 2022). "Big Brother 2003 winner Reggie Bird set to rejoin the new season for 2022". 7 News. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  3. Minchin, Liz (22 July 2003). "Reggie wins Big Brother prize". The Age. with Australian Associated Press. Archived from the original on 15 May 2006. Retrieved 23 April 2006.
  4. Reggie aims to fly high by the Sydney Morning Herald. May 19, 2004. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  5. "Tassie's A list". The Mercury. 19 January 2007. Archived from the original on 1 July 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
  6. "TV pilot for our Reggie". The Mercury. 26 November 2003.
  7. Virgin ready for Reggie by The Age. May 19, 2004. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  8. "It's our ticket out of here". Herald Sun. 27 July 2003.
  9. "Big Brother star Reggie: 'My miracle baby'". Woman's Day. 23 April 2007. Archived from the original on 1 May 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
  10. "Pregnant pause for Reggie". The Mercury. 20 December 2006. Retrieved 9 May 2007.
  11. Big Brother's Reggie Bird tears up detailing her battle with blindness Lachlan Guertin from Yahoo News!. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  12. "Life goes on out of the goldfish bowl". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 May 2006. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.
  13. A stalker and a brush with homelessness: Reggie Bird's life after winning Big Brother. by Chelsea McLaughlin from Mamamia. July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  14. Smith, Linda (26 December 2008). "Oh, Brother! Reggie's Back". The Mercury. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
  15. Usher, Michael (3 July 2009). "Reggie's Biggest Battle". 60 Minutes. Archived from the original on 8 July 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2009.
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