Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace
Encyclopedia
Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace (icon; born 28 December 1978 in London
) is a British
glamour model
, fashion designer, magazine columnist, actress, and television & media personality
. She rose to fame in 2006, when she appeared, and finished third, in the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother
.
It has been reported that Horgan-Wallace won a Prince's Trust grant to take a beauty therapy course at college, and that she had jobs in shoe shops and as a promotions girl. Her official biography states that she studied at the London College of Fashion
, and that she took part-time promotional jobs to help fund her education.
when she was selected as a contestant in the seventh series of the Channel 4 TV series, Big Brother, in 2006. She entered the Big Brother house on Day 12, and became known for her clashes with fellow contestants Nikki Grahame
and Grace Adams-Short, and for being voted into "the house next door" by the public — a secret house, where she was forced to choose who, out of five new contestants, would become new housemates. Horgan-Wallace reached the final on day 93; she came third with 22% of the public vote. She was the highest placed female housemate of the series. It was reported that Horgan-Wallace's popularity shocked the show's producers, with tabloid sources suggesting that they had attempted to "engineer" the series' finalists, and did not expect the swing in public support for her.
In August 2010, she turned down an offer to appear in Ultimate Big Brother in order to shoot her scenes as 'Maria' in the British urban comedy movie, Anuvahood
instead.
, Zoo and the Daily Star. In 2007 she shot a calendar.
. She has also presented for shows such as T4
. She appeared in BBC One
's Test The Nation, on a team with several other Big Brother contestants. She also made a small appearance on The Charlotte Church Show
.
She appeared in several episodes of the Red TV
series Celebrity: Stars at Work, which aired in December 2007 and January 2008. Following on from this, Horgan-Wallace signed a one series contract with Red TV to film a self titled, fly-on-the-wall documentary Aisleyne. Four episodes were broadcast, the first being aired on 5 March 2008.
In June 2008, Horgan-Wallace made a guest appearance on a special edition of The Friday Night Project
, which aired after the launch of Big Brother
s ninth series
. Her contributions to the show included a sketch which mocked her rivalry with former housemate Nikki Grahame.
In August 2008, she made a brief cameo appearance in The Kevin Bishop Show
.
In October 2008 Aisleyne appeared in Channel 4
and E4's horror Dead Set
, which was written by Charlie Brooker
. She played herself in this show. She featured in two episodes - episode 1.01 and episode 1.05. In episode 1.05 she played a zombie version of herself.
On 2 March 2009 Aisleyne underwent a make-under for the BBC Three
programme Snog Marry Avoid?
, presented by Jenny Frost
. She was persuaded that a more natural look suited her.
In May 2009 she was interviewed for the E4/CH4 programme - Big Brother: A Decade in the Headlines, written and presented by Grace Dent
.
In March 2010 she appeared as a guest diner on the Living TV programme, Celebrity Restaurant in Our Living Room.
On 5 May 2011 she starred in an episode of Celebrity Hens and Stags for Wedding TV
. She helped organize a stag night in Edinburgh including racing in an off-road buggy.
In June 2011 she appeared as a contestant in the TV3 (Ireland) series, Celebrity Salon. She finished runner-up behind TV presenter, Alan Hughes.
After Big Brother, Aisleyne made numerous personal appearances in nightclubs around the UK. She hosted a show for the online radio station, Invincible, was a guest commentator on BBC's Asian Network
and made several guest appearances on Choice FM's 'Morning Vybe' show.
She worked as an agony aunt for More
magazine and wrote a weekly column for Reveal magazine covering Big Brother 8
as well as a daily blog on their website. She reprised this role for the programme's ninth and tenth series.
In September 2007, it was announced that she had taken control of her own career via her management company, Aisleyne Ltd, along with co-director Richard Skeels.
On 10 February 2008 Aisleyne released a fashion range named "Unique by Aisleyne". She worked with the "high-end" fashion distributors Unique Collections Ltd, to design and produce the outfits. A complementary swimwear range was launched a few weeks later.
It was announced on 24 April 2008, that Mainstream Publishing
had bought the right to publish her autobiography, entitled Aisleyne: Surviving Guns, Gangs and Glamour. This book was published on 7 May 2009. The launch party held on May 6 was attended by various celebrities, including Jodie Marsh
, Charlie Brooker
and Nate James
.
On 24 and 27 March 2009, she co-hosted a radio show on SMUC Radio with Eamonn McCrystal
Horgan-Wallace plays the character 'Maria' in the British film comedy Anuvahood
, which was released in the UK on 18 March 2011.
On 10 June 2011 she was a judge in the Miss Universe Ireland
beauty contest in Dublin.
In 2007, Aisleyne completed the London 10 kilometre run to raise money for Brain Tumour UK, and she completed the same event on 6 July 2008.
She has been involved with the NHS Stop Smoking campaign in association with Cancer Research UK, and has given her support to No Smoking Day each year since 2008. She also became involved in the "Put the Knives and Guns Down!" campaign encouraging teenagers to get off the streets and stop the rising number of British
shootings and stabbings.
in May 2008, amid reports of them visiting a London nightclub. Horgan-Wallace had previously described Tyson, whom she first met at a restaurant opening in November 2005, as a "pussycat" and a "gentleman". In January 2009 it was reported that Tyson had proposed to her and she was considering her response.
She became friends with Charlie Brooker
after appearing in his television series Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe
, and the two attended the 2007 Glastonbury Festival
together, as documented by Brooker in his Guardian
column.
Reports in April, June and July 2008 revealed Horgan-Wallace to be a friend of the singer Amy Winehouse
. She was photographed visiting Winehouse's Camden flat on a couple of occasions and was also spotted out with Winehouse and three of her friends.
On 23rd July 2011, Aisleyne was photographed distraught outside Amy Winehouse's Camden flat after hearing of her death.
On 27th July 2011, Aisleyne appeared on ITV1's This Morning show to deny claims made in The Daily Mirror that she had been out drinking with Winehouse just two days before her death.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) is a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
glamour model
Glamour photography
Glamour photography is a genre of photography whereby the subjects, usually female, are portrayed in a romantic or sexually alluring way. The subjects may be fully clothed or seminude, but glamour photography stops short of deliberately arousing the viewer and being pornographic photography.Glamour...
, fashion designer, magazine columnist, actress, and television & media personality
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
. She rose to fame in 2006, when she appeared, and finished third, in the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
.
Early life
Horgan-Wallace's mother is Sophia Horgan, a fashion designer, and her father is Steve Wallace, a car dealer. They separated when she was three years old. She was raised by her mother in North London and moved schools several times due to clashes with fellow pupils. At the age of 16, Horgan-Wallace stopped living with her mother and stayed with friends before moving to a women's hostel. She was reunited with her father at the age of 18 after he tracked her down.It has been reported that Horgan-Wallace won a Prince's Trust grant to take a beauty therapy course at college, and that she had jobs in shoe shops and as a promotions girl. Her official biography states that she studied at the London College of Fashion
London College of Fashion
London College of Fashion is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, offering undergraduate, postgraduate, short courses and business-training in fashion, make-up, beauty-therapy and lifestyle industries...
, and that she took part-time promotional jobs to help fund her education.
Big Brother
Horgan-Wallace rose to become notable in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
when she was selected as a contestant in the seventh series of the Channel 4 TV series, Big Brother, in 2006. She entered the Big Brother house on Day 12, and became known for her clashes with fellow contestants Nikki Grahame
Nikki Grahame
Nicola Rachele-Beth Grahame is an English model, columnist and television personality, who rose to fame in the UK when she was chosen to be a housemate on Big Brother 7 in 2006...
and Grace Adams-Short, and for being voted into "the house next door" by the public — a secret house, where she was forced to choose who, out of five new contestants, would become new housemates. Horgan-Wallace reached the final on day 93; she came third with 22% of the public vote. She was the highest placed female housemate of the series. It was reported that Horgan-Wallace's popularity shocked the show's producers, with tabloid sources suggesting that they had attempted to "engineer" the series' finalists, and did not expect the swing in public support for her.
In August 2010, she turned down an offer to appear in Ultimate Big Brother in order to shoot her scenes as 'Maria' in the British urban comedy movie, Anuvahood
Anuvahood
Anuvahood is an urban comedy film directed by Adam Deacon. Starring Adam Deacon, Paul Kaye, Wil Johnson, Ollie Barbieri, Femi Oyeniran, Jocelyn Jee Esien and Ashley Walters as the lead stars, Anuvahood was released on March 18, 2011...
instead.
Modelling
Prior to her appearance on the Big Brother TV show, Horgan-Wallace had worked as a glamour model. Since the series ended, she has done photo shoots with NutsNuts (magazine)
Nuts is a weekly lad mag published in the United Kingdom. It was the first weekly lads magazine to be published in the UK and is sold every Tuesday...
, Zoo and the Daily Star. In 2007 she shot a calendar.
Television work
Since 2007, she has appeared in a number of episodes of Charlie Brooker's ScreenwipeCharlie Brooker's Screenwipe
Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe is a British television review programme broadcast on BBC Four by Charlie Brooker. The programme contains reviews of current shows, as well as stories and commentary on how television is produced.-Format:...
. She has also presented for shows such as T4
T4
- In airports and airlines :* The IATA airline code for Hellas Jet* Madrid Barajas Airport Terminal 4* London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4- In biology and medicine :* T4 phage, a bacteriophage* Thyroxine , a form of thyroid hormones* The T4 spinal nerve...
. She appeared in BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's Test The Nation, on a team with several other Big Brother contestants. She also made a small appearance on The Charlotte Church Show
The Charlotte Church Show
The Charlotte Church Show was a Channel 4 entertainment television show presented by Welsh singer Charlotte Church. It was first broadcast on 1 September 2006 and ran for 6 subsequent Fridays. The show was commissioned for a further two series, the first of which aired from 23 February to 6 April...
.
She appeared in several episodes of the Red TV
RED TV
RED TV may refer to:*Red TV, a UK-based television channel*Red Televisión, a Chilean television channel...
series Celebrity: Stars at Work, which aired in December 2007 and January 2008. Following on from this, Horgan-Wallace signed a one series contract with Red TV to film a self titled, fly-on-the-wall documentary Aisleyne. Four episodes were broadcast, the first being aired on 5 March 2008.
In June 2008, Horgan-Wallace made a guest appearance on a special edition of The Friday Night Project
The Friday Night Project
The Sunday Night Project was a British comedy-variety show by Princess Productions that first aired on Channel 4 in February 2005 under the title The Friday Night Project...
, which aired after the launch of Big Brother
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...
s ninth series
Big Brother 2008 (UK)
Big Brother 2008 was the ninth series of the British reality television series Big Brother, that aired on Channel 4 and E4. The series was launched on 5 June 2008, and ran for 13 weeks until 5 September 2008. The winner of Big Brother 2008 was Rachel Rice who beat bookies' favourite Michael Hughes...
. Her contributions to the show included a sketch which mocked her rivalry with former housemate Nikki Grahame.
In August 2008, she made a brief cameo appearance in The Kevin Bishop Show
The Kevin Bishop Show
The Kevin Bishop Show is a sketch comedy written by and starring English comedian Kevin Bishop, part of the Star Stories team. The show was commissioned by Channel 4 for a six part series starting 25 July 2008 at 10pm...
.
In October 2008 Aisleyne appeared in Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
and E4's horror Dead Set
Dead Set (TV series)
Dead Set is a critically acclaimed BAFTA-nominated horror drama created by English writer Charlie Brooker.The series takes place primarily on the set of a fictional season of the real television show Big Brother...
, which was written by Charlie Brooker
Charlie Brooker
Charlton "Charlie" Brooker is a British journalist, comic writer and broadcaster. His style of humour is savage and profane, with surreal elements and a consistent satirical pessimism...
. She played herself in this show. She featured in two episodes - episode 1.01 and episode 1.05. In episode 1.05 she played a zombie version of herself.
On 2 March 2009 Aisleyne underwent a make-under for the BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
programme Snog Marry Avoid?
Snog Marry Avoid?
Snog Marry Avoid? is a British reality TV show on BBC Three hosted by Jenny Frost and produced by Endemol. It focuses mainly on transforming 'fakery obsessed' or 'slap addicts' in Britain into natural beauties by stripping them of their skimpy clothes and layers of make-up and giving them a...
, presented by Jenny Frost
Jenny Frost
Jennifer "Jenny" Frost is an English singer, dancer, television presenter and model. She was a member of girl group Precious before replacing Kerry Katona in chart topping band Atomic Kitten from 2001 until they split in 2008. Frost presented makeunder show Snog Marry Avoid? from 2008 to 2011...
. She was persuaded that a more natural look suited her.
In May 2009 she was interviewed for the E4/CH4 programme - Big Brother: A Decade in the Headlines, written and presented by Grace Dent
Grace Dent
Grace Dent is an English journalist, author, and broadcaster. Dent writes mainly for The Guardian, where she has a weekly column on television, 'Grace Dent's TV-OD'. She also writes for magazines such as Tatler and Marie Claire. She writes a restaurant review column for the London Evening...
.
In March 2010 she appeared as a guest diner on the Living TV programme, Celebrity Restaurant in Our Living Room.
On 5 May 2011 she starred in an episode of Celebrity Hens and Stags for Wedding TV
Wedding TV
Wedding TV is a woman's lifestyle television channel broadcast in the United Kingdom, on the Sky and Freesat platforms. The channel claims to be the first of its kind, concentrating on love, life, relationships and weddings...
. She helped organize a stag night in Edinburgh including racing in an off-road buggy.
In June 2011 she appeared as a contestant in the TV3 (Ireland) series, Celebrity Salon. She finished runner-up behind TV presenter, Alan Hughes.
Other work
In 2006, she had a small part in the film Rollin' with the Nines.After Big Brother, Aisleyne made numerous personal appearances in nightclubs around the UK. She hosted a show for the online radio station, Invincible, was a guest commentator on BBC's Asian Network
BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British radio station serving those originating from and around the Indian subcontinent. The music and news comes out of the main urban areas where there are significant communities with these backgrounds. The station has production centres in Birmingham, Leicester and London...
and made several guest appearances on Choice FM's 'Morning Vybe' show.
She worked as an agony aunt for More
More (magazine)
More, launched in September 1998, is a women's lifestyle magazine published once a month by the Meredith Corporation with a rate base of 1.3 million and a circulation of 1.5 million...
magazine and wrote a weekly column for Reveal magazine covering Big Brother 8
Big Brother 2007 (UK)
Big Brother 2007 was the eighth series of the United Kingdom reality television programme Big Brother, airing on Channel 4, with a number of closely associated programmes also airing on E4....
as well as a daily blog on their website. She reprised this role for the programme's ninth and tenth series.
In September 2007, it was announced that she had taken control of her own career via her management company, Aisleyne Ltd, along with co-director Richard Skeels.
On 10 February 2008 Aisleyne released a fashion range named "Unique by Aisleyne". She worked with the "high-end" fashion distributors Unique Collections Ltd, to design and produce the outfits. A complementary swimwear range was launched a few weeks later.
It was announced on 24 April 2008, that Mainstream Publishing
Mainstream Publishing
Mainstream Publishing is a publishing company in Edinburgh, Scotland, founded in 1978. It is associated with the Random House Group, who bought Mainstream in 2005....
had bought the right to publish her autobiography, entitled Aisleyne: Surviving Guns, Gangs and Glamour. This book was published on 7 May 2009. The launch party held on May 6 was attended by various celebrities, including Jodie Marsh
Jodie Marsh
Jodie Marsh is an English media personality, former glamour model and bodybuilder. She has appeared topless in many tabloid newspapers and has appeared in her own reality show, Totally Jodie Marsh.-Early life:...
, Charlie Brooker
Charlie Brooker
Charlton "Charlie" Brooker is a British journalist, comic writer and broadcaster. His style of humour is savage and profane, with surreal elements and a consistent satirical pessimism...
and Nate James
Nate James
Nathaniel James Harold Speas, known as Nate James, is a British soul singer-songwriter. James released his debut soul album Set the Tone in 2005 which won him two MOBO Nominations for Best Newcomer and Best R&B Artist.He released on his Frofunk imprint via Independent Labels around the world and...
.
On 24 and 27 March 2009, she co-hosted a radio show on SMUC Radio with Eamonn McCrystal
Horgan-Wallace plays the character 'Maria' in the British film comedy Anuvahood
Anuvahood
Anuvahood is an urban comedy film directed by Adam Deacon. Starring Adam Deacon, Paul Kaye, Wil Johnson, Ollie Barbieri, Femi Oyeniran, Jocelyn Jee Esien and Ashley Walters as the lead stars, Anuvahood was released on March 18, 2011...
, which was released in the UK on 18 March 2011.
On 10 June 2011 she was a judge in the Miss Universe Ireland
Miss Universe Ireland
Miss Universe Ireland is an annual national beauty pageant that selects Ireland's representative to the Miss Universe pageant since 2002.The reigning Miss Ireland Universe is Rozanna Purcell who was crowned on July 9, 2010 in Dublin by Diana Donnelly, Miss Universe Ireland 2009...
beauty contest in Dublin.
Philanthropy
Horgan-Wallace is a patron of Brain Tumour UK and acted as an ambassador for Club4Climate, an initiative based around parties in London's West End and elsewhere that aimed to prevent climate change.In 2007, Aisleyne completed the London 10 kilometre run to raise money for Brain Tumour UK, and she completed the same event on 6 July 2008.
She has been involved with the NHS Stop Smoking campaign in association with Cancer Research UK, and has given her support to No Smoking Day each year since 2008. She also became involved in the "Put the Knives and Guns Down!" campaign encouraging teenagers to get off the streets and stop the rising number of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
shootings and stabbings.
Personal life
She was photographed with former World heavyweight champion Mike TysonMike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
in May 2008, amid reports of them visiting a London nightclub. Horgan-Wallace had previously described Tyson, whom she first met at a restaurant opening in November 2005, as a "pussycat" and a "gentleman". In January 2009 it was reported that Tyson had proposed to her and she was considering her response.
She became friends with Charlie Brooker
Charlie Brooker
Charlton "Charlie" Brooker is a British journalist, comic writer and broadcaster. His style of humour is savage and profane, with surreal elements and a consistent satirical pessimism...
after appearing in his television series Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe
Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe
Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe is a British television review programme broadcast on BBC Four by Charlie Brooker. The programme contains reviews of current shows, as well as stories and commentary on how television is produced.-Format:...
, and the two attended the 2007 Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
together, as documented by Brooker in his Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
column.
Reports in April, June and July 2008 revealed Horgan-Wallace to be a friend of the singer Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
. She was photographed visiting Winehouse's Camden flat on a couple of occasions and was also spotted out with Winehouse and three of her friends.
On 23rd July 2011, Aisleyne was photographed distraught outside Amy Winehouse's Camden flat after hearing of her death.
On 27th July 2011, Aisleyne appeared on ITV1's This Morning show to deny claims made in The Daily Mirror that she had been out drinking with Winehouse just two days before her death.