Big sister

nna Nolan first became public property in 2000 when she appeared in the first series of the reality TV show Big Brother on Channel 4.

Narrowly beaten in the final by Liverpudlian Craig Phillips, she endeared herself to viewers with her laid-back attitude, her good humour and her matter-of-fact revelation that she was involved in a committed lesbian relationship. Viewers also discovered that she had spent time as a novitiate nun before deciding the life wasn’t for her.

After the Big Brother final, Anna was careful to avoid the five-minutes-of-fame trap that ensnared many of her housemates. She has since quietly carved out a career as a television presenter in the UK. Now, she’s about to make her Irish debut in Ask Anna, in which she plays the role of agony aunt.

Is she nervous about playing to the home crowd?

“I’ve done a couple of things for UK companies,” she reminds me, “I did Anna In Wonderland for BBC Choice, where I hung out with strange groups of people like the female metal band Rock Bitch, and I’ve done two series of Closure and I’ve really enjoyed the work. “

So the answer is no, then!

“Well, the RTE series is a lot of fun, because I’m working with real people with real problems and I feel like I’m doing some good. We’ve got a woman who has problems dating and another woman with a phobia about driving… It’s not as voyueristic as some other shows which feature members of the public, and we’re genuinely trying to help people.”

Speaking of voyeuristic TV what does she think of the enduring popularity of Britain’s Big Brother programme?

“I didn’t see much of the most recent series but I do think that the media treatment of Jade Goody, for example, was horrific,” she says. “When I went into the house it was very different. I really went into because I was bored and I fancied an adventure, and I’m not sure that’s the case now. Maybe now people are more conscious of the fact that there’s an element of fame to be gained. It’s an understandable dream. That was never really a consideration for me. And though I’m now working in television and enjoying it very much it’s the variety that I enjoy, not the fact that I might be recognisable. Although most people who come up to say hello are very nice and friendly.”

In her case, the tabloid media made much of the fact that she was a lesbian. Her sexuality seemed to facinate the viewing public.

“I think the British are interested in Irish people generally,” she muses, “but the issue of gay people on TV is a strange one. I came out when I was 22 years-old and I had a very easy time of it. My sister was really good about it and so were all my friends and my mum was fine after a few tears. So I’ve been very lucky in the people I’ve had around me.”

Could it be that because she doesn’t adopt the standard dyke look of crew-cut, Birkenstocks and dungarees that she’s in some way less threatening?

“Well, I’d disagree with the idea that there’s any standard look for a start,” she bristles. “Some lesbians might be more visibly identifiable but there’s as many if not more who look just like the girl next door. And I’d like to think that it’s about who you are, and that even if I had a nice crew-cut that I’d still have had the support I have.”

Does she see herself as a role-model for young women who might be coming to terms with an attraction to other women?

“I’ve never been active in gay politics because I’m not very political,” she says. “The gay scene I inhabited before leaving Dublin was quite a small and intimate circle. So I wouldn’t see myself as any kind of role-model. There are much braver people who’d deserve that title. I do think that if people can see me as an ordinary person who is happy sometimes and sad at other times, and getting on with my life, then that’s fine.”

As an ex-nun does she still believe in God?

“No, I don’t,” she admits, “but again it’s not like I had this big realisation. I just lost interest. I think there’s a lot of great people in the church and there’s a big difference between the ruling element of the Catholic church, for example, and the people who do the work on the ground. I just came to the decision that it wasn’t for me. I think I just grew out of it. But I still see some of the women from the convent and we keep in touch. A lot of the values of Christianity are very credible and valuable in society and you don’t have to believe in God to practise them.

“I think I believe in myself now and in the goodness of other people. We should be good to each other simply because we can, not for reasons of reward or gain or feeling superior.”

As someone who has achieved her dream, can she tell us: is fame all it’s cracked up to be?

“(Laughs) Of course it’s not, but you only know that when you get there! After Big Brother we were told that we might be the focus of attention and I had a security guard on my front door but the only person who called was a six-year old little boy who lived next-door.”

Did she ever fulfil her ambition to have dinner with George Michael?

“No I never did”, she sighs. “But the person I’d most like to go to dinner with now is Boy George. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed.” b

Ask Anna is on RTE 1 at 8.30 on Thursday nights