About Gretel Killeen
Note: The forum has the latest news. The wiki contains reference information. Below are some points of interest.
November 2008:
Gretel Killeen is the narrator in the Rocky Horror Show in Melbourne until the 20th.
June 2008:
Gretel Killeen is the narrator in the Rocky Horror Show at Star City Casino Sydney in July. For those that do not recognise her now, it is because she has cut her shorter (photo in forum).
October 2007:
Gretel has left her role as host of 'Big Brother' to concentrate on movie production work in 2008.
April 2007
News: Gretel is in the early stages of writing a drama for ABC Australia, and produced the UNICEF ads screening on television recently.
Photos: Several new photos have been added to the second photos page for the 2007 section at the bottom. Click here.
February - April 2006
Take a look at this young lady (photo left, just below). She was a school captain and member of the school debating team. She looked quite different in 1980 from the gorgeous stunner that she is now (photo right, just below). Her career went from law school to stand-up comedy after co-owning a hotel with a stage on which various local and international comedy acts performed. From there she moved into television on debating shows. She was also a skit performer for several years on 'The Midday Show' and soon after she was a regular "beauty" on 'Beauty and the Beast'.
She has been a voice over artist for almost 20 years in corporate videos, TV, radio and even in film as the voice of a character. She has been a radio star, was a newspaper columnist in the 1990s and continues her work as a public speaker. She is the author of more than 20 children's books published in Australia, England, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, Korea and China. She is also the author of one adult book which will be released in 2006. She is writing a drama for television in 2005/2006 as well and has written, directed and appeared in a movie to be released soon. Of course she also writes scripts for 'Big Brother' shows she hosts and is even involved in the final selection of housemates.
She enjoys sailing (when she can), skiing and snowboarding all over the world every Winter and is involved with UNICEF.
Gretel Killeen in 1980, 1989 and 2003.
Fast Facts
She married at a young age and when her first child was born Gretel began her freelance writing career whilst continuing voice-over and TV work. Since then she had another child and has written for newspapers, made a string of TV appearances, especially in debating shows, worked in radio and does corporate public speaking. She has written more than twenty books and contributed to others, from children's books to books that are more for adults. Some of her books include:
Obviously you need to be an Aussie to understand some of those unusual titles but she has been published in England and Canada.
During Big Brother 2 in 2002 her typical working week meant that she was away from her children for up to four days a week. Reuters Business Briefing Select, 12th June, 2002 (AUSTRALIA, My Week article in HERALD SUN - Herald and Weekly Times Limited, 2002) gave a run-down of her typical working week.
What an inspiration and she still found time to appear on 'Beauty and The Beast' during BB's run and of course after it during that year. She also found time to go to East Timor for UNICEF as well. According to an article by Kerrie Davies (Gretel's tears for Timor - New Idea June 22nd, 2002), she did not take her children Eppie, 11, and Zeke, 13, on that trip but they have travelled a lot with her (Eppie to Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia for example), to learn about different ways of living life in different cultures. She firmly believes in educating her children saying, "every day my children learn something that makes them more capable to own their own lives and freedoms. Sometimes these lessons are learnt through school, other times around the kitchen table" (Davies, 2002).
So she is not just an exquisitely beautiful lady but an inspiration to many and worthy of a 'Mother of the Decade' award. Then there is Big Brother (BB). In addition to the BB Oz housemates loving each other rather than lying and hating, the interactivity of BB is the key to its success. However Gorgeous Gretel is the other major reason for the success of this show. Gretel is constantly made fun of by her critics (the "mutton dressed as lamb" joke being the most popular) and some commentators would like to see her axed from BB which is beyond any common sense. She is the main reason why the show is so popular. Gretel Killeen is a truly awesome lady. Just look at that face, the svelte figure and of course her charity work which is mentioned below. She is such a beautiful, inspiring, national treasure!
Gretel talks to a show about her ARM Tour role.
During the 2004 documentary: Gretel talks to children about their lives in Zambia.
Gretel is telling her son (just out of frame below) to stop joking about in the documentary and right Gretel doing a piece-to-camera at home about the tour.
November 2008:
Gretel Killeen is the narrator in the Rocky Horror Show in Melbourne until the 20th.
June 2008:
Gretel Killeen is the narrator in the Rocky Horror Show at Star City Casino Sydney in July. For those that do not recognise her now, it is because she has cut her shorter (photo in forum).
October 2007:
Gretel has left her role as host of 'Big Brother' to concentrate on movie production work in 2008.
April 2007
News: Gretel is in the early stages of writing a drama for ABC Australia, and produced the UNICEF ads screening on television recently.
Photos: Several new photos have been added to the second photos page for the 2007 section at the bottom. Click here.
February - April 2006
Take a look at this young lady (photo left, just below). She was a school captain and member of the school debating team. She looked quite different in 1980 from the gorgeous stunner that she is now (photo right, just below). Her career went from law school to stand-up comedy after co-owning a hotel with a stage on which various local and international comedy acts performed. From there she moved into television on debating shows. She was also a skit performer for several years on 'The Midday Show' and soon after she was a regular "beauty" on 'Beauty and the Beast'.
She has been a voice over artist for almost 20 years in corporate videos, TV, radio and even in film as the voice of a character. She has been a radio star, was a newspaper columnist in the 1990s and continues her work as a public speaker. She is the author of more than 20 children's books published in Australia, England, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, Korea and China. She is also the author of one adult book which will be released in 2006. She is writing a drama for television in 2005/2006 as well and has written, directed and appeared in a movie to be released soon. Of course she also writes scripts for 'Big Brother' shows she hosts and is even involved in the final selection of housemates.
She enjoys sailing (when she can), skiing and snowboarding all over the world every Winter and is involved with UNICEF.
Gretel Killeen in 1980, 1989 and 2003.
Fast Facts
- She is the third of four siblings (she has three sisters) and was born in 1963.
- She went to an all girls school and, due to her expressive side, found it too restrictive but was an excellent student and champion debater.
- After studying law for six weeks (she dropped out then) she worked as a cafe waitress to save up for what became an eight month holiday in Italy.
- She returned to Sydney, studied communications and stumbled into comedy.
- She met her future hubby after a performance and they married in April 1987.
- Ezekiel (Zeke) came along two years later and Epiphany (Eppie) in 1991.
- The marriage ended in 1993 and he lives in the States but they remain friends.
- Since then she has been an author (of more than 20 books), a newspaper columnist and TV personality. Then she found herself being caught up in the global Big Brother juggernaut and her fame skyrocketed.
- Gretel and her children lived near Sydney's Kings Cross not far from the smell of cafeine and the beach. They then moved to Bondi.
- Gretel feels that she has only achieved about ten percent of her potential as a person (this must surely be a joke as she is already an awesome lady when one looks at her life so far).
- Obviously the best is yet to come in Gretel's life!
Brief Biography
June 2002 - (revised February 2006)
She married at a young age and when her first child was born Gretel began her freelance writing career whilst continuing voice-over and TV work. Since then she had another child and has written for newspapers, made a string of TV appearances, especially in debating shows, worked in radio and does corporate public speaking. She has written more than twenty books and contributed to others, from children's books to books that are more for adults. Some of her books include:
- Baby on Board
- Hot Buns & Ophelia Get a Bloke
- Hot Buns & Ophelia Get Shipwrecked
- My Life Is A Boob Tube
- My Life Is a Toilet
- My Life Is A Wedgie
- Visible Panty Line
- You're Joking!
- What'll We Get for Grandma?
- My Sister's a Full Stop
- My Sister's a Nightmare
- My Sister's a Sea Slug
Obviously you need to be an Aussie to understand some of those unusual titles but she has been published in England and Canada.
During Big Brother 2 in 2002 her typical working week meant that she was away from her children for up to four days a week. Reuters Business Briefing Select, 12th June, 2002 (AUSTRALIA, My Week article in HERALD SUN - Herald and Weekly Times Limited, 2002) gave a run-down of her typical working week.
- On Monday's she usually had radio interviews and then script writing for the evening live eviction nominations show, then a late dinner and drinks with workmates.
- Tuesdays, more radio interviews, catch up with friends and then work on new book (The Very Naughty Mother).
- Wednesdays, work on and shoot the BB Uncut show which aired on Thursday nights and then fly home to Sydney.
- Thursdays and Fridays, spend some time in a few meetings, get involved in children's lives, housework, take a walk along the beach, catch up on sleep.
- Saturday, more quality time with children then off to the Gold Coast for BB again with Sunday spent in script writing and doing the live eviction show in the evening.
What an inspiration and she still found time to appear on 'Beauty and The Beast' during BB's run and of course after it during that year. She also found time to go to East Timor for UNICEF as well. According to an article by Kerrie Davies (Gretel's tears for Timor - New Idea June 22nd, 2002), she did not take her children Eppie, 11, and Zeke, 13, on that trip but they have travelled a lot with her (Eppie to Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia for example), to learn about different ways of living life in different cultures. She firmly believes in educating her children saying, "every day my children learn something that makes them more capable to own their own lives and freedoms. Sometimes these lessons are learnt through school, other times around the kitchen table" (Davies, 2002).
So she is not just an exquisitely beautiful lady but an inspiration to many and worthy of a 'Mother of the Decade' award. Then there is Big Brother (BB). In addition to the BB Oz housemates loving each other rather than lying and hating, the interactivity of BB is the key to its success. However Gorgeous Gretel is the other major reason for the success of this show. Gretel is constantly made fun of by her critics (the "mutton dressed as lamb" joke being the most popular) and some commentators would like to see her axed from BB which is beyond any common sense. She is the main reason why the show is so popular. Gretel Killeen is a truly awesome lady. Just look at that face, the svelte figure and of course her charity work which is mentioned below. She is such a beautiful, inspiring, national treasure!
Gretel the UNICEF Ambassador
Gretel Killeen works as a UNICEF ambassador primarily to raise awareness of children's issues around the world. Gretel travelled to East Timor with UNICEF for example prior to its independence. In September, 2004 she made a Network Ten documentary with her children on Aids Orphans in Zambia and in January 2005 she toured Banda Aceh - the area hardest hit by the Southeast Asia tsunami - to visit UNICEF projects including a mass vaccination program being undertaken by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation. In November 2005 Gretel went to Bangladesh where she toured a shoe manufacturing plant. The conditions were very poor and the women that worked there were exploited. After BB 5 ended in 2005 Gretel went to the Outback on the ARM tour with several other celebrities. They were there to inspire children in Aboriginal and other local communities.Gretel talks to a show about her ARM Tour role.
During the 2004 documentary: Gretel talks to children about their lives in Zambia.
Gretel is telling her son (just out of frame below) to stop joking about in the documentary and right Gretel doing a piece-to-camera at home about the tour.
