Two-time 'Big Brother' winner Reggie Bird tears up as she reveals heartbreaking health diagnosis
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: Two-time Big Brother winner Reggie Bird has just announced a devastating medical diagnosis, much to the grief of fans across the globe.
Bird, 48, who hails from the Gold Coast area of Australia, recently announced to her social media followers that she has been diagnosed with Usher Syndrome - a disease which will affect both her hearing and vision. Bird was declared to be legally blind in 2008, having been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare degenerative disease that causes sever vision impairment, at the time.
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“It’s not what I wanted to hear,” Bird said in a video as she broke down in tears. “It’s the worst thing that you could have. I’m going to be deaf-blind.”
“Since my time on Big Brother I got diagnosed with going blind,” she said in May this year. “I’ve now lost all my peripheral vision. I have no night vision. I could wake up tomorrow and it’s gonna be gone ... Ah, I’m gonna cry now.”
Following her win on the 2003 edition of 'Big Brother', Bird has had a rollercoaster ride of a life. She revealed in 2014 that she has no peripheral vision and that her overall field of vision itself was restricted to only 10 degrees.
Years later, she took the plunge and came back to 'Big Brother' in the ‘Contenders Vs Royalty’ season, where she made history by being the only person to win the show twice - she took home a $250,000 prize each time.
Bird also talked about how proud she was about being able to represent those who are disabled on a platform such as 'Big Brother'. After her second win, she said, “I’m honestly so proud of myself for going in and doing what I did and having a go.”
She then added, in a report by NEWS, "I just wanted to show people who do live with disabilities that you can get out there and achieve anything that you put your mind to. I’m so proud to represent people with a disability.”
However, she has also been on the dark side of the reputation the show brings to its contestants, with many comments on social media about how she’s lying and that it’s all a ruse. “People are saying that it’s fake and I’m not really going blind,” she explained in an interview. “Just because you’re going blind, you don’t just sit at home and do nothing, you still get out there and you can do anything. I battle each day as it is, so going into the house will be a challenge for me, but once I work out where I am and where things are, I’ll be OK.”
Bird’s son has also, unfortunately, been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.