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Big Brother's Layla reveals she was fooled: 'Puppet master'

Layla Subritzky burst onto our screens when she competed on Big Brother in 2012, walking away from the competition as the runner up. The bubbly Brit was a fan favourite, known for her steamy love affair with intruder Sam Wallace and her theme tune, ‘Oats-a-la-la-Layla’.

When she was invited back for Big Brother Royalty vs New Blood she knew she’d accept, telling Yahoo Lifestyle: “Big Brother, I feel like it’s a part of me. It’s so hard to say no to doing it, it’s just a part of my history.”

Big Brother housemate Layla after winning a challenge on the show.
Big Brother's Layla fought hard to win a challenge. Photo: Seven

Layla was fooled by a fellow 'royalty' housemate

After the 'royalty' alliance took a tumble, Monday night's shock eviction saw Layla leaving the house.

Tim Dormer was the catalyst for this, with the housemate making a pact with newbie Johnson Ashak before the eviction, flipping on his ‘OG’ alliance. Layla wasn’t aware that this was happening, but she’s not surprised.

“I knew when [Tim] gave me a hug in the eviction room. He hugged me, and he said, ‘I don’t know what happened there’. And I went, ‘You’re all sh*t.’ I knew it.

“I know exactly what your game is. You’ve got everyone, you’re a puppet master. But that’s just not who I am."

Reflecting on her departure, she recalls that she couldn't believe Tim had blindsided her. He had been vocal about the 'royalty' or 'OG' cast sticking together, but that was thrown out the window to further his game.

"I got in the car and I was like, how did I not see this? He didn't have any of the OG's backs, he was there for himself," Layla says.

Layla pictured smiling on the set of Big Brother.
Layla is a fan favourite from her time on Big Brother in 2012. Photo: Seven

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Layla's emotional style of play doesn't work with the new format

The new Big Brother format is different to when Layla played in 2012, with Australia only voting for their favourite housemate once there is a final three. It’s not live, and means there’s more focus on strategy and alliances in the house.

The social worker admits she wanted to come into the house with an emphasis on strategy and a good game plan, but it’s just not who she is. “

I feel and think everything with my heart, and make decisions based upon how I feel," she said.

“And I think it’s really hard, the new format, people are struggling to adjust to it. There [were] times in the house that I was like, I wish this was live, I wish people could vote.”

She’s adamant that if Big Brother stuck to the old format, she would have been in the house longer. She's known for playing with her heart on her sleeve and although she didn't last very long, she's happy with how it worked out.

"I could get to the top three, but I'd be like...who did I have to manipulate and step on, to get to the top three?" she reflects.

In a twist, she also reveals that she was fighting to stay in the house until she heard Johnson's eviction speech. Once she heard how much being on the show meant to him, she changed her vote last minute to save him.

“I changed my vote last minute because I just saw Johnson and I couldn’t take anything away from him, in case my vote was going to be the decider of him leaving. I didn’t want to be that person,” she explains.

Johnson, Layla and Dave sit in the eviction chairs on the set of Big Brother.
Layla changed her vote at the last minute because she was moved by Johnson's speech. Photo: Seven

She was ‘on the chopping block’

The Queenslander isn’t afraid to say she was considered “a huge threat” in the house, and revealed that may be the reason the other housemates didn’t speak to her.

“Nobody really wanted to give me the time of day. The girls saw me as a huge threat in there. I was really out of place, like I was actually quite lost in the show,” she says.

She explains that her time on Big Brother this year was the polar opposite to her original season in 2012, which she loved.

“It was awful, because I’ve gone from my experience in 2012 which was so pure and awesome, and I created all of these beautiful relationships. And then when I walked in [this year], it was just like, oh. This is actually a game.

“I knew I was pretty much on the chopping block, everyone wanted to get rid of me,” she admits.

When asked if she’d go back on reality TV again in the future, she mentions that after Big Brother she thought she would walk away for good.

“There might be something in the pipeline,” she teases.

“I told Sonia this was my last rodeo with television. But it might be my first…[there are] exciting things coming.”

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