About Craig Phillips

About

In the beginning

Born in Seaforth, Liverpool in 1971, Craig is the younger of two children. His family moved to Shropshire in the late 1980s, and at the age of 18, whilst working for a local construction company, he secured a bricklaying apprenticeship. Determined to excel in his chosen profession, he attended night school classes in advanced brickwork and civil engineering, achieving a City & Guilds qualification. A self-made entrepreneur, Craig went on to set up and run a successful construction business throughout the 1990s, employing 30 tradesmen and operating with an annual turnover of more than £1 million. Developing an impressive property portfolio, Craig also undertook a diverse range of projects including new builds and major structural conversions.

Big Brother

In the summer of 2000, Craig beat 45,000 applicants to appear alongside nine other contestants on Britain's first reality TV show, Big Brother. Watched by over 10 million people, Big Brother was a huge success, riveting the public and media alike. After more than nine weeks in the Big Brother house, Craig won the nation's hearts with his cheeky humour and came out triumphant with 3.7 million votes, £70,000 prize money and a National Television Award for Best Live Television Moment of the Year. Craig famously donated his entire winnings to childhood friend and Down's syndrome sufferer Joanne Harris. Within six days of leaving the show, he had raised £250,000 to pay for her life-saving heart and lung transplant.

Stage and screen

With his new found fame, Craig has gone on to combine his knowledge of construction and media savvy to forge a brilliant career as one of the UK's leading DIY and home improvement experts. Presenting and producing over 2000 DIY and home improvement shows for major broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, Sky One, UKTV Style and Discovery Realtime, Craig has reached millions of viewers throughout Europe and as far as Korea, New Zealand and the USA.


In 2019 Craig and his wife Laura welcomed their beautiful daughter Nelly into the world.


Craig and Laura have launched a new platform encouraging both men and women to feel comfortable taking on DIY tasks. The ‘Mr and Mrs DIY’ platform focuses on creating video content for DIY enthusiasts as well hosting classes at their workshop in Liverpool.


Craig continues to regularly contribute to the media in relation to DIY and construction related news and is an ambassador for leading brands; Silverline Tools, Wagner, Tile Mountain, Frenchic, United Utilities, Forterra and David Lloyd Clubs.