70,000 requests, 17 got in, but only one: Alida Kurras (46) won the latter 24 years ago “Big Brother“-Squadron. How has your life changed since then?
New Year’s Eve 2000. Shortly before everyone popped the corks and rockets, Alida-Nadine Kurras celebrated. She prevailed in the final of the second season of “Big Brother” after 106 days of “television prison” against “Big” Harry Schmidt and Frank Röthen and received the cash prize. That was – that’s how long ago it was – 250,000 German marks. The youngest person in the container, who was 23 at the time, showed everyone and even knocked eccentric competitors such as Christian “Nominator” Möllmann and “Hexe” Hanka Rackwitz from the field.
Things have become very quiet around Alida now. But there is a sad reason for that.
As a presenter, Alida Kurras set a world record
After the victory, the nesting winning container tried to increase its popularity. Others, such as Zlatko and Jürgen, the stars from season one, recorded singles. Alida preferred to start as a presenter at 9Live. Thus, she even set a world record in September 2003 which is still valid today. She hosted the world’s longest TV quiz for a total of 52 hours and 45 minutes, taking turns with four colleagues.
At 9Live she also met Frank William Lauenstein. She fell in love with the director of the program at the time and married him in 2006. They divorced in 2010. Although Alida appeared several times as a presenter or guest on later seasons of “Big Brother”, things became quieter around her. She is currently in front of the camera regularly for the teleshopping channel Channel 21. “I was able to experience and achieve so much that I am very happy”she revealed in an RTL interview in May 2023.
Due to her father’s serious illness, Alida withdrew
There is another reason why she shied away from the spotlight and avoided industry events. Her father became ill. “Because of the illness of my father, who was seriously ill with cancer, I withdrew completely,” said Alida, who became the mother of a daughter in 2018, in an interview with RTL. “At times like this you find that other things are more important than jumping in the media. That overshadowed everything else for me.”
Kurras spent many intense hours with her sick father, for whom she was “heart and soul”. “We were allowed to clarify everything. I was allowed to tell him everything. We spent an extremely difficult period dealing with this illness and we enjoyed every day,” she said in an RTL interview. But a happy ending could not be achieved: her father died at the end of 2021, just 69 years old.
Alida Kurras is celebrating her return to “Celebrity Big Brother“
24 years after her “Big Brother” victory, Alida Kurras will be drawn into the container again in October 2024. At “Big Brother Promi” celebrate it now their big axis! She competes against Verena Kerth, Daniel Lopes, Mike Heiter, Max Kruse and Co., among others. You can find all the information about the new season of “Celebrity Big Brother” here.