Big Brother 9 Housemate Rachel Rice (Channel 4 image)

Big Brother 9 - Rachel Rice

Friday, 6 June 2008

Rachel Rice is a former child actor, who featured alongside Hugh Grant in the film Night Train to Venice when she was eight years old.

Filming in Rome, the 24-year-old from Torfaen, Walessays Grant even organised her eighth birthday party.

Rachel went on to perform in three other films and over 20 commercials, but eventually stopped acting because she says she had to choose between acting and education, and Hugh Grant suggested she get her qualifications first.

She is now an English and Drama student as well as a trainee teacher.

A fitness fanatic, Rachel trains at the gym five times a week and runs 10 miles a week.

She believes people should eat more healthily, and that the government needs to reduce the price of fruit and get rid of ready meals so people will be encouraged to cook and eat more healthily.

A former local beauty pageant winner, she went on to be crowned runner up in a Miss Wales competition the year Big Brother 7's Imogen Thomas won.

Rachel – who says her nicknames include "bossyboots" and "grotbags" - says her mum is her best friend but that she wants to be on Big Brother to "cut the apron strings" as she's a bit of a home girl.

She also wants to be on Big Brother to represent "pretty, intelligent alpha females".

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