She was one of the biggest stars of the 1980s and ‘90s, but now Hollywood actress Kirstie Alley has swapped film sets for the small screen with a stint in the Celebrity Big Brother house in the United Kingdom.
The 67-year-old was one of many well-known faces to be revealed when the latest series of the popular reality show kicked off on Thursday night. While she’s been out of the public eye for some time, the Drop Dead Gorgeous star gave audiences a glimpse into her star-studded career.
Best known for her six-year gig as Rebecca Howe in hit sitcom Cheers, before making the move to the big screen, Alley described her time on the show as “joyous”. She said: “It was like magic. Every single day that I went to work, it was joyous.”
She entered the house in a dazzling black and gold top worn under an eye-catching violet floor-length coat, showing just a hint of the jacket’s hot pink lining which complimented her stunning stiletto heels perfectly.
Kirstie upped the glam by styling her long blonde locks into voluminous waves and wore dark eye make-up and a pop of pink lipstick to complete her TV look.
The A Bunny’s Tale star was the first celebrity to enter the house as the 22nd series of the Channel 5 show got underway. She will be joined by the likes of British soap stars Ryan Thomas and Roxanne Pallett, as well as a selection of reality stars.
Speaking in her VT, filmed ahead of the launch, Alley also said that working in the movie industry with stars like John Travolta was one of the biggest highlights of her life, describing the experience as being “on top of the world”.
She also discussed her weight gain, claiming she was paid a “sh**load” of money to publicly document her weight loss.
“I spent my whole life thin and then one summer I probably gained 40 or 50 pounds. I could honestly say that I hated the paparazzi. I had talk-show hosts talking about me being fat and there was a pressure that I had never experienced by being made fun of being I had gotten myself fat. But f*** you. I had to rise above that.”
Despite remaining out of the limelight in recent years, Alley sparked outrage last year when she took to Twitter to express her views on the #MeToo movement, claiming that things had gotten out of hand in terms of the number of sexual harassment claims being made in Hollywood.
She wrote: “I’m an advocate of courts of law 4 criminal matters. Also innocent until proven guilty is a fairly sane concept that I’m pretty sure each of us would like to be afforded. Rumors cause witchhunts. Seems ok to be part of the mob until U become the next witch. [sic]”