| Gretel Killeen | |
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Gretel Killeen hosting Big Brother in 2005 |
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| Born | 3 February 1961 Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia |
| Known for | Big Brother Australia |
| Occupation | Television presenter of Big Brother 2001-2007, author, comedian, voice actor |
| Spouse | Divorced |
| Children | Two |
Gretel Killeen (born 3 February 1961)[1], is an Australian television presenter, comedian, newspaper columnist, author and voice actor, who is best known for being the primary host of the Australian version of Big Brother. She has hosted the show from its inception in 2001 for all eight seasons until the 2007 season. In October 2007 it was announced she would not return to host the planned 2008 season. [2][3]
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Career
Television
Big Brother Australia
In 2000, Killeen was asked to host the Australian edition of Big Brother, beginning in 2001. Since then she has hosted each series. In 2007 she was accused of being aggressive towards some housemates, in particular Jamie during his eviction interview after he suggested the video package shown of him crying and sitting alone was biased towards the negative.[4][5] Later she was criticised for being particularly aggressive towards Rebecca, Thomas and Jamie. Thomas, and an earlier evictee Nick, both described her attitude towards them as "passive aggressive" in post-show interviews. Killeen was also criticised for hypocrisy having aggressively questioned why Jamie did not intervene when Michelle argued with Aleisha, and yet she was receptive towards Michelle herself on her eviction, and even rationalised Michelle's behaviour during the argument.[6] On 28 October 2007, The Sunday Telegraph reported that, as a part of a revamp of the show, Killeen had decided to leave her hosting role, being replaced as host by Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O[7] from 2Day FM.
| “ | Working on Big Brother has been an extraordinary, challenging and rewarding experience. I'm really proud of what we've achieved but I now have the seven-year itch and am busting to get on with a million new things, including my first feature film, which we're shooting in the new year. | ” |
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—Gretel Killeen[7] |
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Other television roles
Killeen, along with Daniel MacPherson, hosted the 2006 New Years Eve Countdown Live on the Ten Network. Killeen hosted the Australia Day-eve celebrations on 25 January 2006. She was also the host of Ten's coverage of the Australia Day ceremony in 2007.
Literary works
As an author of a number of books, most for children, Killeen has penned:
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Fleur Trotter series |
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Eppie & Zeke series |
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Hot Buns & Ophelia series |
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The Very Naughty Mother series |
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Movie roles
Killeen has a cameo in the Australian film Gettin' Square as Rhonda Halliwell.[1] On 28 October 2007, Killeen mentioned a first-time role in feature film to be shot in 2008.[7]
Voice work
Killeen has performed a number of voiceover works; in an interview on the Comedy Channel, Killeen admitted that she is the voice behind the Telstra "wrong number" message: "Your call could not be connected, please check the number and try again".
References
- ^ a b Gretel Killeen. IMDb. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.
- ^ Big Brother evicts controversial host Gretel Killeen. The Sunday Times (Western Australia) (October 27, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
- ^ Gretel Killeen axed from Big Brother - The Sunday Telegraph, 28 Oct 2007
- ^ Sydney Confidential (July 3 2007). Is Gretel too big for BB-boots?. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.
- ^ Good bits missed, moans Jamie. Herald Sun (July 3 2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ^ Garth Montgomery (July 9 2007). Most hated Housemate. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
- ^ a b c Moran, Jonathon. "Gretel Killeen axed from Big Brother", The Sunday Telegraph, 2007-10-28. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
External links
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| Big Brother | 2001 · 2002 · Celebrity · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 |
| Current companion shows | Live Eviction · Live Nominations · Friday Night Live · Up-Late |
| Presenters | Current: Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O (2008-) · Mike Goldman · Bree Amer · Ryan Fitzgerald Former: Gretel Killeen (2001-2007) · Tim Ferguson (2003) |
| Winners | Ben Williams · Peter Corbett · Dylan Lewis (Celebrity) · Regina Bird · Trevor Butler · Greg Mathew · Jamie Brooksby · Aleisha Cowcher |
| Spin-offs | Friday Night Games · The Up-Late Game Show |
| Related Articles | Big Brother · Network Ten · Endemol Southern Star · John de Mol |


