{{Short description|Australian television personality (born 1974)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=May 2015}} {{infobox person | image = Reggie Bird.jpg | caption = Sorenson in 2022 | name = Regina Sorensen | other_names = Reggie | birth_place = Tasmania | birth_name = Regina Jennifer Bingham | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1974|03|19|df=y}} | occupation = TV personality | known_for = The only dual winner of ''Big Brother Australia'', Contestant and winner of ''Big Brother 3'' and ''Big Brother 14 '' }}
'''Regina Jennifer "Reggie" Sorensen''' (née '''Bingham''' formerly '''Bird'''; born 19 March 1974)<ref>https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AuoHYZJPY/</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Richards |first=Blair |url=http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2009/12/17/116321_todays-news.html |title=Reggie's bionic eye hope |date=2009-12-17 |work=The Mercury |access-date=2009-12-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005174628/http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2009/12/17/116321_todays-news.html |archive-date=2011-10-05}}</ref><ref name="7NEWS" /> is an Australian television personality best known for being a contestant on and winning the third and fourteenth seasons of ''Big Brother Australia'' in 2003 and 2022 respectively, and is the only Australian contestant to win twice.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Minchin |first=Liz |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/21/1058639734948.html |title=Reggie wins Big Brother prize |date=2003-07-22 |work=The Age |access-date=2006-04-23 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060515070235/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/07/21/1058639734948.html |archive-date=2006-05-15 |agency=with Australian Associated Press |url-access=limited}}</ref>
Small in stature with an unusual nasal intonation, she earned public admiration with her down-to-earth charm, strong work ethic, and naivety. She was the first ''Big Brother'' contestant to win twice (2003 and 2022 respectively). "Go Reggie" bumper stickers were a big hit in Tasmania in 2003.<ref>[https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/reggie-aims-to-fly-high-20040519-gdiy8v.html Reggie aims to fly high] by the Sydney Morning Herald. May 19, 2004. Retrieved 12 July 2022.</ref>
Sorensen was included in Hobart newspaper ''The Mercury'''s list of "Tassie's Top 200" movers and shakers in 2007.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,21084203-921,00.html |title=Tassie's A list |date=2007-01-19 |work=The Mercury |access-date=2007-07-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701234743/http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,21084203-921,00.html |archive-date=2007-07-01}}</ref>
==Career== thumb|The fish and chip shop in Cambridge which Bird used to own In late 2003, Sorensen signed up with manager Harry M. Miller and filmed a pilot for a TV show which never made it to air.<ref>{{Cite news |title=TV pilot for our Reggie |date=2003-11-26 |work=The Mercury}}</ref> Later she appeared as a contestant on 2005 Nine Network celebrity skating competition series ''Skating on Thin Ice''. From December 2004 to May 2005 she worked for airline Virgin Blue as a flight attendant – her "dream job" – although she resigned claiming she had been bullied by her colleagues.<ref>[https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/virgin-ready-for-reggie-20040519-gdxvlr.html Virgin ready for Reggie] by The Age. May 19, 2004. Retrieved 13 July 2022.</ref>
In 2025, Sorensen appeared as a contestant on the eleventh season of ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'', where she ended up as the runner-up.<ref>{{cite web|last=Knox|first=David|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/01/im-a-celebrity-get-me-out-of-here-2025-meet-the-cast.html|title=I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here 2025: meet the cast|date=20 January 2025|website=TV Tonight|publisher=TV Tonight|access-date=20 January 2025}}</ref>
==Big Brother== In 2003, Sorensen won third season of ''Big Brother'' with 72% of the final vote, the biggest margin in a ''Big Brother'' finale to date, in addition to being the first female winner of the Australian show.
Sorensen was involved in the week 12 task on season 9 of ''Big Brother 9'' in 2012, the show's comeback season on the Nine Network. She was one of several former housemates that entered the house to try to get the current housemates to fail their weekly task, which was to ignore everyone who entered the house that was not a housemate.
In 2022, Sorensen starred in a third network, the Seven Network's, iteration of Big Brother, ''Big Brother 14'', as one of eight past housemates, in the mix with newly cast stars. She was one of three former winners to enter the house, alongside ''Big Brother 4'' winner Trevor Butler and ''Big Brother 10'' winner Tim Dormer. She was ultimately crowned the winner of ''Big Brother'' for a second time, where she spent a total of 148 days in the house (in both seasons). She became the fifth contestant in the world to win the show twice and the first person to do so in ''Big Brother Australia'', also she was the first female winner of ''Big Brother'' since Terri Munro won the eighth and final season on Network Ten in 2008.<ref name="7NEWS">{{cite web |last1=Christmass |first1=Pip |title=Big Brother 2003 winner Reggie Bird set to rejoin the new season for 2022 |url=https://7news.com.au/entertainment/big-brother-australia/big-brother-2003-winner-reggie-bird-set-to-rejoin-the-house-for-2022-c-6572276 |website=7 News |date=25 April 2022 |access-date=28 April 2022}}</ref>
==Personal life== Before appearing in ''Big Brother'' in 2003, Bird and her husband Adrian managed a fish and chip shop in Cambridge, Tasmania.<ref>{{Cite news |title=It's our ticket out of here |date=2003-07-27 |work=Herald Sun}}</ref> Their marriage ended shortly after the season finale.
She spent some time residing in Sydney and later Melbourne. She now lives in Queensland. In 2007, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter with her second husband, Dale Sorensen.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2007-04-23 |title=Big Brother star Reggie: 'My miracle baby' |url=http://womansday.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=262244 |url-status=dead |magazine=Woman's Day |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070501201749/http://womansday.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=262244 |archive-date=2007-05-01 |access-date=2007-05-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,20956409-3462,00.html |title=Pregnant pause for Reggie |date=2006-12-20 |work=The Mercury |access-date=2007-05-09 }}</ref> In 2009, she gave birth to a son, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at four weeks old.<ref name = yahoo/>
In 2005, Bird lost $40,000 to a conman who claimed to be a television producer where she paid him the money to fund the pilot of a travel show she would appear in.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/models-singing-gigs-hit-a-flat-note/2006/05/26/1148524884656.html?page=2 |title=Life goes on out of the goldfish bowl |date=2006-05-26 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022110749/http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/models-singing-gigs-hit-a-flat-note/2006/05/26/1148524884656.html?page=2 |archive-date=2012-10-22 |url-access=limited}}</ref> She has also been a victim of stalking.<ref>[https://www.mamamia.com.au/reggie-bird-big-brother/ A stalker and a brush with homelessness: Reggie Bird's life after winning Big Brother.] by Chelsea McLaughlin from Mamamia. July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 12, 2022.</ref>
===Health=== In 2008 she underwent emergency surgery arising from an ectopic pregnancy and was also declared legally blind after having been diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa, a rare hereditary eye disease that may lead to blindness. She had lost 90% of her central vision. About her condition, she states "I've now lost all of my peripheral vision, I have no night vision. I could wake up tomorrow and it's going to be gone".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Linda |url=http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2008/12/26/46381_tasmania-news.html |title=Oh, Brother! Reggie's Back |date=2008-12-26 |work=The Mercury |access-date=2009-01-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721133735/http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2008/12/26/46381_tasmania-news.html |archive-date=2011-07-21}}</ref>
In 2017, Sorensen suffered from a stroke caused by a heart condition.<ref name = yahoo>[https://au.news.yahoo.com/big-brother-reggie-bird-battle-with-blindness-000516074.html Big Brother's Reggie Bird tears up detailing her battle with blindness] Lachlan Guertin from Yahoo News!. 26 April 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.</ref>
She was interviewed by ''60 Minutes'' in July 2009, during which she discussed her ongoing degenerative eye condition and her second child due in August 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=833428 |title=Reggie's Biggest Battle |last=Usher |first=Michael |date=2009-07-03 |website=60 Minutes |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708180218/http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=833428 |archive-date=2009-07-08 |access-date=2009-07-06}}</ref> She has also appeared on ''The Daily Edition'' in 2016 to discuss her illness.<ref name = yahoo/>
==Filmography== ===Television=== {| class="wikitable" |+ ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 2003 | ''Big Brother (Australian TV series)'' | Housemate | Season 3 Winner |- | 2022 | ''Big Brother (Australian TV series)'' | Housemate | Season 14 Winner |- | 2025 | ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (Australian TV series)'' | Contestant | Season 11 Runner-up |- |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|1422852|Regina Bird}}
{{s-start}} {{succession box|title='''Big Brother Australia''' winner|before=Peter Corbett|after=Trevor Butler|years=Series 3 (2003)}} {{s-end}}
{{s-start}} {{succession box | title = '''Big Brother Australia''' winner | before = Marley Biyendolo | after = Tay & Ari Wilcoxson | years = Series 14 (2022) }} {{s-end}}
{{Big Brother AU}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorensen, Regina}} Category:Living people Category:People from Hobart Category:Australian blind people Category:Television personalities with disabilities Category:20th-century Australian women Category:21st-century Australian women Category:1974 births Category:Big Brother (Australian TV series) winners