Goodmayes businessman Pavandeep Paul, who swapped the property business for a month on reality TV show, Big Brother, says he is relieved to be back home.
Mr Paul made it to the grand final of this year’s Big Brother on Channel 5, but admits he “hated” the experience.
The 22-year-old, who manages his family business, Faster Property Solutions on Green Lane, Goodmayes, came sixth in this year’s competition after living with housemates under the watchful eye of Big Brother (BB) - missing out on the £100,000 prize.
The BB finalist said he went on the show for the experience and to see if a Sikh could get on the show.
A relieved Mr Paul said: “It’s really weird to be out - the pace of life is really weird outside the house.”
The contestant, who had a mixed experience on the show after entering the Big Brother house on day 40 - when house ties had been formed - managed to make the all-important final.
“At the time, making it to the final didn’t mean anything to me, I wasn’t really enjoying being in the house at all - even though the way people behaved towards me changed in the last week.”
Mr Paul was nominated to leave the house 15 times during his stay and faced the public vote to be removed four times - surviving each time.
He said: “Making it to the final is great, I’m really proud to have made it that far but the hardest part was the isolation - you completely forget about family and friends and it can really consume you.
“I coped by thinking about the outside world - what kept me going was thinking ‘you’re only in here for a bit’ - the others took solace in not knowing about the outside world and I couldn’t do that.”
Mr Paul is only the third person in Big Brother history to be nominated for eviction four times in a row after MTV’s The Hills stars Spencer and Heidi Pratt who achieved the feat on last year’s Celebrity Big Brother.
The property manager said: “I felt like I was doing it alone in there but my family were out here supporting me.”
He added: “I just missed them so much - I went through some of the lowest points in my life in there and I just lit up when I saw my family at the final.”
Mr Paul said he wanted to share his background and heritage with housemates - educating housemates about Sikhism and teaching them some traditional bhangra dance moves.
“I know a lot of people were watching and I just wanted to stay respectful - it’s very daunting having the pressure of representing Sikh people - and I did have that in the back of my mind.
“I’m not the most religious person but I shared what I know with them and I’m proud of that.”
Mr Paul, made it through a rigorous audition process and was one of thousands to make it onto the programme.
“When I sat in that audition room I didn’t think I would get in, there was all sorts of people there auditioning - the whole audition process attracts a certain kind of person.
“At first, I told my aunty I auditioned and when I made it to the final stages I told my mum - she was really nervous and my dad was just confused as to why I wanted to do it at all.”
The BB contestant, who said producers were “really selective” with what was aired, said he loved the experience but it challenged everything he knew about his personality.
“It’s so intense and I’ve been challenged in so many ways, but the highlight for me is being able to say that I’m one of the people that have experienced Big Brother.”
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