Nichola voted out of Big Brother

Nichola was ready to leave the house a week ago

Big Brother contestant Nichola has become the fourth person to be evicted from the house after polling almost two-thirds of the public vote.

Fellow nominee Craig escaped eviction after 72% of telephone voters favoured the textile artist's departure.

Nichola received a rapturous welcome from her family, thousands of Big Brother fans and the world's press when she left the purpose-built house at 2300 BST on Friday.

Nichola and Craig: No hard feelings

She follows in the footsteps of writer Sada, marketing manager Andrew and blonde Brummie Caroline as the fourth participant to leave since the five men and five women were sealed off from the outside world.

Nichola, 28, told show presenter Davina McCall that the past week had been very hard and she had been ready to leave several days ago.

She said the "shocking" departure of "nasty" Nick Bateman for breaking house rules on Thursday had left the remaining members of the Big Brother household "really distraught".

Nick was evicted by the show's producers after it was discovered he had been attempting to manipulate the voting on the show by deceiving his house-mates.

"What really got on my nerves," said Nichola, "is that it's been going on for three weeks."

"Nasty" Nick was booted out the back door

She dismissed Nick's explanation that he had had a hard life because he had been brought up in a big family, gone to public school and worked in the city, as "hilarious".

But she did say she would not harbour ill-feeling and would be happy to get in touch with Nick in the future.

Nichola, a textile artist from Bolton who dreams of being in a circus act, will be best remembered for smearing her naked body with clay and making prints on the house walls.

A feisty character, she had a number of run-ins with her housemates, including ripping up their magazines to make pictures.

She was also seen crying after a big argument with Darren, but later revealed to Big Brother that she was in love with him.

And although she promised to tell him how she felt if she was evicted, she appears to have backed out.

At the end of the show the extrovert skinhead accepted an offer from the Zippo Academy of Circus Arts to join them for a six-week training stint at the end of September.

£70,000

Ten contestants entered the Big Brother house in Bow, east London, on 14 July.

They are not allowed access to the outside world, and are watched by scores of TV cameras, picking up their every move.

Provisions must be bought from a tight budget, and house members are able to let off steam in a special "diary room".

Each week, the contestants nominate two of their number to be evicted, with viewers voting for the one who will be thrown out.

The one who remains at the end of the series wins £70,000.