Panache Indeed, Tara Reid

I'm eternally grateful to Channel 5 for resurrecting Big Brother and am currently loving the celebrity version which has all the classic ingredients: someone to love, someone to loathe and someone to steal the limelight.

My personal favourite this year is someone who i originally expected to dislike but gradually found myself adoring more and more: American actress Tara Reid, who seems worlds apart from the woman i'd previously imagined her to be.

My initial thought was My God, this girl is so shot away...yet so witty and wise too.

In short, Tara is not only a fascinating character to observe but also strikes me as a particularly lovely person, an intriguing cocktail of fragility, inner toughness, humour and warmth.

She has a certain endearing charisma about her which holds the attention no matter how much others may hog centre stage, until you just want to hug her, sit awhile and listen enraptured to her thoughts.

The winner of the show will either be busty Amy Childs or hyperactive twins Jedward but my lasting impression will be of how pleasantly surprised i've been by Tara, who is not at all up herself or self-obsessed as you might reasonably expect of such a golden-looking Hollywood Hotie

© Sean Barrett - Aug 2011