Anita Bird steps out of her sister Reggie Sorenson’s shadow on Big Brother

Anita Bird has entered the 2026 season of Big Brother, bringing a familiar name from the show’s history with her: she is the younger sister of former winner Reggie Sorenson, formerly known as Reggie Bird. The 47-year-old housemate told host Mel Tracina that, as the younger sibling, she thought the show could just as easily be called “Big Sister”. Bird said she decided to try the reality competition because it felt like her time for a new adventure. She described herself and Reggie as different in some ways but said they shared a similar sense of humour. Cooking, however, was not one of her strengths. Bird joked that she was “hopeless” in the kitchen, after briefly trying her hand at work in Reggie’s former fish-and-chip shop. The Tasmanian-born travel adviser said she had spent time caring for their parents, who are now in aged care. With that chapter of her life changing, she found herself at home with her dog and wanted to get out and have some fun. Bird also said she had supported her sister from the sidelines and did not want to spend her life in Reggie’s shadow. She is one of 14 contestants competing for the prize on the returning Ten series. Reggie is a particularly recognisable figure in the franchise: she won Big Brother in 2003 and again in 2022, and later appeared on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, where she was a joint runner-up. Bird’s arrival gives the new season a direct family connection to one of the show’s best-known past housemates, though she will now have the chance to make her own mark in the house.