Florist joins residents of Big Brother house

Claire Strutton, a 25-year-old florist, has replaced "Nasty Nick" Bateman who was evicted from the Channel 4 programme Big Brother for cheating. Ms Strutton, from Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, joined the remaining five contestants by 7.30pm on Saturday.

Claire Strutton, a 25-year-old florist, has replaced "Nasty Nick" Bateman who was evicted from the Channel 4 programme Big Brother for cheating. Ms Strutton, from Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, joined the remaining five contestants by 7.30pm on Saturday.

They were not been told who was to join them, or when, Channel 4 said. Claire had to be rushed in without seeing her baby brother who was born on Saturday afternoon.

Three people from the original shortlist of contestants were interviewed in the quest to find Nick's replacement. The former stockbroker was ordered from the purpose-built house in east London on Thursday night, after flouting rules which forbade tactical voting, and forfeiting his chance to scoop the £70,000 jackpot as the last remaining tenant.

His eviction, televised on Friday night, attracted 6.9 million viewers, 42 per cent of the TV-watching public. And 10 million people logged on to the website on Thursday to see the household's showdown with Nick, live on the internet.