Gretel Back On The Box

Local News, By Christian Taylor, 22nd March, 2009

Former Big Brother host Gretel Killeen will be hosting this year’s TV Week Logies in Melbourne. It’ll be her first TV appearance since her departure from the Big Brother, which limped through one more season without her before being axed.

Killeen will be the second woman to host the Logies solo – the first was Wendy Harmer in 2002. Her performance was widely criticised in the media, with some calling it the dullest Logies in history. Harmer described the gig as being akin to “cutting off her arm with a blunt chainsaw”.

Killeen told the Herald Sun that she was surprised by the offer, and that she said yes partly because it was so unexpected.

“I just thought the fact they were asking me was such a surprise,” said Killeen. “I thought, ‘Good on them’.”

Killeen, notorious for her daring fashion sense on Big Brother, sounded lacklustre when asked about what she’ll be wearing on the night.

“We started to think about what I was going to wear, then we stopped… I would love someone to say ‘This is what you’re wearing, here it is’. If you could just go in something nice and comfortable like your pyjamas and not be judged, that would be fabulous.”

This year’s international guest will be Annie Lennox, who has just released her Greatest Hits collection. Natalie Bassingthwaighte will also be performing.

Nominations will be announced March 30, and the 51st TV Week Logie Awards will be held on Sunday, May 3, 2009 at the Crown Entertainment Complex in Melbourne and televised on the Nine Network.