FORMER Ipswich Town star Jason Dozzell has backed his nephew to win popular Channel 4 reality show Big Brother.

Craig Robinson

FORMER Ipswich Town star Jason Dozzell has backed his nephew to win popular Channel 4 reality show Big Brother.

Speaking to the EADT, the ex-Blues midfielder said Darnell Swallow has what it takes to reach the final stages of the competition.

The 26-year-old albino, who is the son of Dozzell's half-brother Tony Swallow, is a popular figure within the house and is now among the favourites to claim the £100,000 prize money.

Although he now lives in London he was born in Ipswich but left for America with his mother when he was a young boy.

Dozzell, a former England under 21 international, said all the family were extremely proud of his nephew.

“The housemates seem to be warming to him and he seems to be saying and doing all the right things,” he said. “Obviously we want him to win and I think he could go a long way - we could definitely see him in the last three or four.

“We're extremely proud - from what people are saying he is coming across very well. He said he was doing something with Channel 4 but we didn't realise it was Big Brother. It's good to see him on there because it makes watching it much more interesting.”

When Mr Swallow entered the Big Brother house he told host Davina McCall that he had never watched the programme, which is now in its ninth series.

The songwriter, who spends most of his time mentoring community youth groups in north London, is now fourth favourite to win the show - with odds of 8/1 being offered by some bookmakers.

On the Big Brother website he describes himself as personable, outgoing, caring and sensitive and as someone who can often talk too much and say the wrong things.

Dozzell, 40, who lives close to Ipswich Town's Portman Road home, added: “He went to America to live with his mother when he was about seven or eight and I remember him as a kid.

“He's a lovely lad. He's very clever and very intelligent and I think in the next few weeks the programme will be coming up with a lot more stuff and he'll get involved a lot more.”