Celebrity Big Brother star Amelia Lily says the ‘timing was bad’ for her and Made in Chelsea’s Sam Thompson
SAYING Amelia Lily is in good spirits would be something of an understatement.
“They look sick!” she shouts across the studio about the clothes she’s just put on for her Fabulous shoot, before belting out Cher’s Believe.
At 23, the X Factor 2011 finalist and runner-up on this summer’s Celebrity Big Brother is relentlessly positive about life and all it throws at her.
So it’s perhaps no surprise that she sailed through CBB without receiving a single eviction nomination from her housemates.
“For me, that was the cherry on top of the cake,” she says. “What a feeling. I tried to avoid the arguments.
I do sit on the fence a lot and that’s one thing I maybe shouldn’t do, but that’s just who I am.”
Amelia, who splits her time between London and her hometown of Middlesbrough, won viewers’ hearts when she fell for Made In Chelsea’s Sam Thompson in the house, and it appeared that the feelings weren’t reciprocated.
The two were shown having a rather awkward conversation where Sam, who had previously been very flirtatious, seemed to be gently letting her down, leaving Amelia in tears.
“He was the one who started it off,” she says of their flirting.
“And I think towards the end [the editors] kind of made it look like he’d gone off me, that he’d backed off, but he hadn’t. The whole me and Sam thing was quite bad timing – we’d both just come out of relationships. But you can’t help it if you like somebody.”
Since the show, Amelia and Sam have seen each other “a couple of times”, but when we ask if another date is on the cards, she replies: “I’ve no idea!” before going on to say: “He’s a really great guy. But we’ve been so busy that it’s just totally mad.”
Watch this space, then. For now, Amelia is hard at work. She’s starring in an upcoming panto, working with fashion brand Jane Norman and planning YouTube make-up tutorials. Who’s got time for love? Not Miss Lily
Did you enjoy being on Celebrity Big Brother?
I absolutely loved every minute of it. Of course there were
ups and downs, but I went in with the mindset of: “I’m only going to get this opportunity once and I’m going to make the most of every day in there.”
Sarah Harding won, although she wasn’t quite as popular in the house itself…
I know she went through quite a tough journey on the show, and I think she deserved to win because of that.
I never had a problem with Sarah. There was only one time she shouted at me to get away when I was trying to comfort her, and that’s when I thought: “I’m just going to remove myself from the situation.”
Have you been in touch since leaving the house?
I haven’t seen or spoken to her. I don’t actually have her number, but I’m sure I’ll see her at some point.
What about your friendship with Jemma Lucy?
I went in there and didn’t think I’d get on with Jemma. She is misunderstood as a person and she’s told me a lot about her childhood. She’s had a tough upbringing and I have so much respect for her.
She’s the one person who has really stayed in contact with me. She’s genuine, down to earth and says it how it is. You don’t find many people in this industry who are so honest, and that’s what I love about her.
Did you worry about how you were perceived in the house?
Because I was never up for eviction and Emma Willis never called my name, I never had a boo or a cheer, so I didn’t know what the public thought of me. It was totally different being on The X Factor because every week people were voting on whether I was staying in or not.
Your first single You Bring Me Joy reached No.2 in 2012 – how did that feel?
It’s probably one of the biggest highlights of my career to date. I watched
it climb up the iTunes Chart to No.1 and I threw up. My adrenalin got too much and I was sick!
Your next releases didn’t fare quite as well, which must have been disappointing…
The thing is, it’s so hard if you don’t get the radio play. The music industry is very difficult, but for me, that’s when theatre came about, and it’s what I originally wanted to do. Not long after my single California was released in 2014 [reaching No.83 in the charts], I started in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. It felt like a new chapter.
Where’s your heart these days?
I’ll always love singing but I absolutely love acting. My dream job is to play Elphaba in Wicked. What I love about theatre is you’re working with a team of people and you create a family. The music industry is great, but it’s very lonely at times, especially being a solo artist.
Would you describe yourself as single?
[Amelia pauses] Yeah. To be honest, I haven’t really had time to think about getting into a relationship because I’ve been so busy. When I’m with somebody I like to be committed. I’m 23, I’m going out, I’m having fun, I’m living my dream. I’ve just come out of Celebrity Big Brother and I’m having the best time.
– Amelia is the new face of Jane Norman ().
- Hair: Dino Pereira using L’Occitane
- Make-up: Afton Radojicic at Stella Creative Artists using Kiehl’s Since 1851
- Styling: Nana Acheampong
- Stylist’s assistant: Maddie Burrough
- Amelia wears: jacket, Oasis; top, Bershka; skirt, Topshop
