Nadia's chain-smoking, mood swings and general tetchiness did nothing to impress the public. The tabloids weren't pleasant either, dubbing her as the "Portugeezer" (slightly harsh).

As viewers became more and more intrigued, Nadia gradually won over the watching world with her vulnerability. Especially when hecklers shouted her secret over the BB garden fence and she worried whether the other housemates had heard. She was ecstatic when she left the house a winner and discovered she had been accepted for who she was.