Craig Phillips

Craig Phillips, born on October 16, 1971, in Liverpool, England, began his career as a bricklayer. After his family relocated to Newport, Shropshire, he secured a day-release bricklayer apprenticeship with Wrekin Council’s construction department. He furthered his education with night school classes in advanced brickwork and civil engineering, eventually earning a City & Guilds qualification. Following his training, Phillips established his own building company, demonstrating his entrepreneurial spirit and practical skills early in his career. Prior to his significant television debut, he also presented ‘Renovation Street’ for Carlton ITV and served as the DIY expert for the BBC under an exclusive contract in 2001. Phillips gained national recognition in 2000 when he became the first ever winner of the reality television series ‘Big Brother UK’. His win was particularly notable as he publicly announced his intention to donate his entire £70,000 prize money to Joanne Harris, a friend with Down syndrome, for a much-needed heart and lung transplant. This act garnered widespread public support, helping to reach the £250,000 target for Harris’s operation within six days. This event marked a significant turning point in his life, propelling him into the public eye and opening doors to a new career in television.

Following his ‘Big Brother’ success, Phillips released a charity single, “At This Time of Year,” in December 2000, which reached number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and raised over £40,000 for the Down’s Syndrome Association. He further contributed to charity by participating in the reality series ‘Back to Reality’ in 2004, where he raised £40,000 for Macmillan Cancer Trust. Throughout his career, Phillips has leveraged his practical skills and public profile to host numerous television programs focusing on DIY, construction, and home improvement. These include ‘Housecall’, ‘Housecall in the Country’, ‘Builders Sweat and Tears’, ‘Our House’, ‘Trading Up’, ‘Big Strong Boys’, ‘Boyz in the Wood’, ‘Big Strong Boys in the Sun’, ‘Renovation Street’, ‘Trading Up in the Sun’, ‘House Trap’, and ‘Craig’s Trade Tips’. His expertise also led him to join the team of ’60 Minute Makeover’ for ITV in 2007, where he appeared in 80 episodes in 2008. In 2011, he hosted ‘Celebrity DIY with Craig Phillips’ and ‘If It’s Broke, Fix It’ for Home. Since 2018, Phillips has extended his reach through his YouTube channel, ‘Mr and Mrs DIY’, providing online tutorials for home and garden maintenance. Beyond his media work, Phillips continues to be active in property development and serves as an after-dinner speaker. He married Laura Sherriff in 2018 and has two children, Nelly (born 2019) and Lennon (born 2020). The couple featured in Channel 5’s “Millionaire Age Gap Love” in 2020.