Steve Price is officially a changed man, and he’s the first to admit it.
During last night’s emotional episode, The Project host broke down when he spoke passionately about raising money for his co-host Carrie Bickmore’s beloved charity, Beanies 4 Brain Cancer.
In an honest exit chat with Now To Love, Steve revealed just how blown away Carrie and her son Ollie were by his efforts…
Steve was perhaps the most surprising break-out star of the series.
It was such an incredible moment when you spoke about Beanies 4 Brain cancer, have you chatted to Carrie Bickmore since?
I’ve traded text messages and I’m going to talk to her today and obviously on The Project live next week, which will be pretty emotional.
I got a message [from Carrie] via Dr. Chris Brown, I haven’t told anyone else. Carrie’s son Ollie started crying after I was evicted last night because clearly he was invested in what we were trying to do and raising that money.
So, I made a promise on the show that I will try and raise as much money as I possibly can to get to the $100, 000.
What about your family and your daughters?
Lisa and Kate are here, Channel Ten flew them over and they were at the end of the red carpet when I got off. It was fantastic to see.
Kate did an incredible job running my social media [while I was in the jungle]. She blames the fact I was evicted that she was on a plane and didn’t drive the votes in the last couple of hours so I’ll go with her theory.
You’re a changed man – physically and mentally. How does it feel?
I’m ten-kilos lighter. I can’t put that back on! I think this show has also put ten years on my life but I do feel like like a different person – I feel alive, bright and happy.
Before and after: The radio star dropped ten-kilos in the jungle and now weighs 71.5kgs.
Are you going to try and maintain your new weight?
100%! You’d be stupid to go through what can only be described as a six-week severe detox. We got up every morning from day one, and the only thing you had to drink for the whole 43 days was either hot water out of a kettle, or you had cold water out of a canteen bottle.
The food that you see, is the food we get! You’d be mad to throw what is a very expensive detox programme out the window and went back to your old habits.
I had some good advisers in there. Do you think I can turn myself into a Kris Smith? I just need to do a few weights. He’s offered to become my own personal trainer and take me on power walks and runs and put me through the weights.
Why wouldn’t I take up that offer? I could be strutting the stage, he says I can become a mature-age model for [menswear label] Lowes. I’m going to get a sponsorship with Lowes and Kris has shown me a few moves from the catwalk and how to look vacantly into the distance.
If I can just do a bit of buffing of this now light-weight body, I could become a mature-age catwalk model.
What about this goofy, softer Steve Price we got to know on the show, is that who you really are?
It’s a complete and utter transformation of how your life is lead. You do resort back to what you normally are in an unguarded moment. Being in there, you forget you’re surrounded by cameras.
What you see in there, especially for the people that were in there for a long period of time, the real you does come out. It’s impossible to hide it.
Steve and his jungle bestie, Nazeem Hussain.
Will you bring this updated version of yourself onto The Project and the radio?
That’s a hard question… Look, when there’s a serious political issue and I disagree with Waleed [Aly] about something – no, I will still be quite firm on my views. I never have an opinion unless I really believe it.
But I think that yes, I will be a much more forgiving person. I’m going to see other people’s side to the argument a little more willingly. I’m not going to become boring! You don’t want to go in there for six weeks and be Boring Bill, that would be career suicide.
I’ll try and be as entertaining as I can but every now and then you’ll see that softer side.
Who do you want to win it?
I’d love to see Casey Donovan win. I think she’d be a wonderful queen of the jungle and we need a woman to finally win this show, and she’s the one that I think should win it. She’s incredible, she’s really great.
