Big Brother winner Ali Bromley has opened up about her devastating reasons for signing up for show – the loss of her brother Mike to suicide.
The Leicester-born psychologist scooped the £90,000 prize pot when she won the 21st series of the popular reality show earlier this month. However, for Ali, the win was about so much more than the money. She signed up as a way to honour her brother Mike, who passed away two-years-ago.
Picture credit: ITV
Sadly, Mike took his own life, prompting Ali to live hers to the full. Before signing up for Big Brother, the 38-year-old had just returned from a trek to Everest Base Camp – a challenging 12 day expedition in the Himalayas.
“I just wanted to make a commitment to live my life because my brother couldn’t. I thought that maybe that was a way to honour him,” she told the Leicester Times.
“Two years ago I’d have never applied to be on a realty TV show. I’d have wanted to play things safe and sensible – thinking about my career and the future. But I had a really bad year last year, where I didn’t really do too much, I was just kind of doing what I could to survive really. This year I was like, ‘I’m not going to feel better magically on my own, so I need to put as many things into my life as I can and take opportunities that are fun again.
“It’s difficult to explain how a bereavement like that can impact those sorts of decisions. For me it was about taking every opportunity that life throws at you really. And seeing what happens – recognising that life is short.”
Like Ali, Mike had been given a duel diagnoses of Autism and ADHD (AuDHD) which caused significant challenges in his life. Mental health difficulties also came with the loneliness that these conditions can cause.
On the show, Ali was keen to share her experience of suicide loss, mental health and AuDHD.
She opened up about her heartbreak and wants to help break the stigma around mental health and suicide.
“It’s a massive part of my life and something that I find difficult to talk about. There’s a lot of stigma around suicide and it’s desperately sad because actually if there was less stigma, there would be more conversation and when there’s more conversation there’s more opportunities to release loneliness,” she said.
“My brother felt very ashamed of his suicidal thoughts so he wouldn’t always be open about them. I had been very close to him throughout my whole life and thought he was someone he could come to whenever he needed.
“Myself and my family put a great deal of love and energy into trying to support him across his life, but I think generally he felt isolated no matter what we did. A part of that I think is how society treats difference, neurodivergence and mental health conditions. The stigma around admitting how you feel – that life is unbearable and you can’t cope. I do wonder if he might have felt less alone if people had been more prepared to talk about it, because I don’t think those thoughts and feelings are uncommon sadly.”
After the heartbreak of losing her brother, Ali is keen to keep moving forward, throwing herself into new challenges situations and experiences.
She plans to spend some of her prize money on a trip to Ibiza for herself and Lily – a fellow housemate who she built up a close friendship with in the house.
As for the future, she is busy looking for new adventures in 2025.
“I don’t have a plan at the moment, but knowing myself it probably won’t be too long before I’m up to something else that’s potential quite surprising to my friends and family!
“I’ve always tried to put opportunities for adventure into my life, especially since my brother died,” she said.
“My brother was not really a reality TV fan, he’d have been very surprised that I signed up for the show, but he’d have found it hilarious!
“He would have been championing me all the way and I know he’d be proud.”
