Nadia Almada has shown off her new look, 20 years after finding fame (Picture: Shutterstock)
Big Brother winner Nadia Almada looks worlds away from when she found fame 20 years ago.
The 47-year-old made history on the Channel 4 programme as Big Brother’s first ever transgender winner.
Aside from a stint on Ultimate Big Brother in 2010, Nadia has made few public appearances in the years that followed.
She’s now been pictured soaking up some winter sun in Spain, where she looked incredible in a blue bikini.
Nadia showed off the results of her ‘life-saving’ weight loss surgery, after which she lost more than six stone.
The reality star was spotted in a glam bikini enjoying her holiday in Gran Canaria, taking a swim in the ocean before rinsing off.
Nadia looked incredible in a blue bikini (Picture: Charles Purvey / SplashNews.com)
The star was pictured on holiday in Spain (Picture: Charles Purvey / SplashNews.com)
Nadia won Big Brother in 2004, and became the first transgender person to do so (Picture: Stuart Atkins/REX/Shutterstock)
She’d undergone gastric sleeve surgery in March this year, and later explained how she’d gone down to 11st 8lb from 17st 6lb.
Nadia told OK!: ‘I was a size 20 and a shadow of my former self. I had no stamina, no energy, no vitality – and there was a higher risk of having major heart problems or a stroke from the weight that I’d been carrying.
‘Plus, I couldn’t wear heels because my feet were so swollen. That was the last straw.’
She added that the surgery, which was a suggestion from her mum and gave her the ‘reassurance’ she was looking for, left her feeling ‘prettier slender’.
It’s also benefited her health, as she’s lowered her cholesterol and thyroid levels.
Nadia previously spoke of her 6lb weight loss (Picture: Charles Purvey / SplashNews.com)
She revealed she’d gone down to 11st 8lb from 17st 6lb (Picture: Charles Purvey / SplashNews.com)
Nadia has largely remained out of the spotlight since Big Brother (Picture: Stuart Atkins/REX/Shutterstock)
She did appear on Ultimate Big Brother in 2010 (Picture: Shutterstock)
‘I’ve got more energy and I just feel better with myself. It was really life-saving surgery for me,’ she said.
Nadia also previously shared she considered showing more of herself on social media, and even discussed the idea of sharing feet photos on OnlyFans to rake in some cash.
‘I have an OnlyFans but I don’t have anything on it at the moment,’ she said last year.
‘I need to put some effort into it. Maybe I will post some pictures of my feet and toes, there is a market for that.
‘I wouldn’t go fully nude, but I would shower in my heels on there, as that’s what everyone remembers me for and of course I still do that,’ she told The Sun.
Nadia previously said she’d consider selling feet pics on OnlyFans (Picture: Charles Purvey / SplashNews.com)
The star had gastric band surgery in March (Picture: Charles Purvey / SplashNews.com)
She said it was ‘life-saving surgery’ (Picture: Charles Purvey / SplashNews.com)
Nadia became an overnight celebrity in 2004 when she walked away from the Big Brother house with £63,500.
‘The best part of Big Brother was the acceptance and embracement,’ she told Metro last year.
‘I didn’t know acceptance, or even tolerance was possible aside from through my closest friends. I had a complete absence of positivity and embracement in my life.’
An emotional Nadia told us: ‘When I got out of the show it was the complete opposite. I get goosebumps talking about it now because it was real.’
She added: ‘I was embraced and that was a beautiful thing. It came from cisgender males, cisgender females, everyone! The whole country was behind me and they adored me.’
Big Brother continues at 9pm on ITV2.
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