Sarah’s secret heartbreak: Big Brother star reveals how a childhood living in poverty made her determined to win the $250,000 prize so she ‘doesn’t ever have to go back again’
She’s the pint-sized Bunnings worker who has made it to the final five on Big Brother.
But behind her bubbly facade, Sarah McDougal holds a fierce determination to take home the $250,000 prize money – after spending her childhood living in poverty.
The 19-year-old retail assistant told WHO magazine that growing up in a housing commission area made her resolve never to return.
Heartbreak: Big Brother star Sarah McDougal (pictured) has revealed how her childhood spent living in poverty made her determined to win the $250,000 prize
‘I thought one week had been a bad week but we didn’t know if the next week our electricity would be cut off or our water… you could tell you were different to other kids and it was hard,’ Sarah said of her younger years.
‘I’ve seen how life can be, from the lowest of the lows, and I don’t want to go back there ever again,’ she added.
Once the series is over, Sarah hopes to use her new profile to inspire other children raised in adversity to realise they can succeed and ‘make the most’ of life.
Hard years: Sarah (pictured with her mother) grew up in a housing commission area and they sometimes couldn’t afford to pay their bills. ‘I thought one week had been a bad week but we didn’t know if the next week our electricity would be cut off or our water,’ she said
‘So they know that no matter how you were raised or what cards you were given in life, you can still make a life for yourself,’ she said.
Meanwhile, Sarah has returned to her day job since filming wrapped on Big Brother.
The housemate was spotted by a fan last week working behind the register at a Bunnings Warehouse in Melbourne.
Back to work! Meanwhile, Sarah has returned to her day job since filming wrapped on Big Brother. The housemate was spotted by a fan last week working behind the register at a Bunnings Warehouse in Melbourne
She was dressed in the classic green and red Bunnings uniform and had her hair pulled back, but was nonetheless recognisable from her stint on TV.
It comes after Sarah revealed the heartbreaking reason why she wants to win the $250,000 prize money.
Speaking to TV Week a week ago, the student said she hopes to pay off the debt from her late father James’ funeral.
Personal reasons: It comes after Sarah revealed the heartbreaking reason why she wants to win the $250,000 prize money
‘He was 59 and pretty sick with emphysema, but doctors didn’t realise how bad it was, so dad pushed me to go on my first trip overseas to do volunteer work in Indonesia last July,’ she said.
‘He passed away really suddenly and I got the call to come home as soon as possible.
‘It was heartbreaking and all the financial repercussions came down on us kids, so we got in quite a bit of debt,’ she added.
Tragic: The 19-year-old said she hopes to win the show to pay off the debt from her late father James’ funeral. Pictured: Sarah and her late father
‘He passed away really suddenly’: She told TV Week her dad ‘was 59 and pretty sick with emphysema, but doctors didn’t realise how bad it was’
‘It would mean so much to me to be able to pay it off. It would change my family’s lives.’
Sarah, who is the youngest of seven children, went on to call her father the ‘smartest person I’ve ever met’ and said he inspired her to become a better person.
She also spoke about her family’s financial struggles, admitting she got her first job as a dog walker at the age of 12 to help her parents pay the bills.
Battler: She also spoke about her family’s financial struggles, admitting she got her first job as a dog walker at the age of 12 to help her parents pay the bills