Anna Nolan
| Anna Nolan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 October 1970 |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Television presenter, producer |
| Known for | Appearing in Big Brother 2000 (UK) |
Anna Nolan (born 16 October 1970) is an Irish television presenter, producer and former business manager, waitress and Irish international basketball player. She has presented numerous television programmes in Ireland and the UK.
When she was young Nolan's mother noticed that she always ran away when young males visited and rarely dated boys. She did eventually date two men. She joined a convent in the Sisters of Loreto, and has fond memories of her time there: "I loved the nuns and the work they did. They were the coolest group of women". She left after a drunken incident which confirmed for her that "the Catholic church has no place for women really".
One year after leaving the nunnery, Nolan came out. Her mother asked her if she was gay one 1992 Saturday night about midnight when 22-year-old Nolan arrived home from her first night out in a gay bar. Her father was welcoming of her homosexuality, offering to accompany her on nights out if she wished and giving her the following advice, "Anna, never underestimate that there are people out there who hate gays, would like to hurt gay people and will never accept them. You don't have to mix with them, but they will always be there." These words returned to her when she was filming for the BBC in Australia and was accosted by "an Australian right-wing homophobe living in Melbourne – a very damaged character".
Nolan came to prominence in 2000 as the runner up in the first series of the British reality show Big Brother. Her life as a lesbian ex-nun was central to the majority of the titillation in the first series in contrast with later series when, said the Irish Independent in 2007, "the freakshow has ratcheted to the point where Nolan would be deemed far too Waltons Mountain for Big Brother". She was present for a part of reality television history when Craig Phillips took on evil Nasty Nick and his manipulative interferences. People ask her: "Are you Anna from Big Brother?" She used to deny this after losing interest but now she embraces her past. She describes her time in Big Brother as follows: "There were moments when I wanted to leave due to boredom, or people irritating me, or missing people at home. Did I enjoy it? It wasn't about enjoying it, it was about getting through it." Prior to entering Big Brother, Nolan thought nobody would watch the show as she had discussed it with two friends and "One of them said, 'Why on earth would anyone want to watch that?' and we changed the subject". In June 2010, RTÉ Ten named Nolan as one of its "Top 10 BB Housemates".
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