I was really honoured to be asked by Oprah to take part in a series like Oprah's Big Give and I completely didn’t expect to learn so much by doing it. As a foreigner, it has really helped me to see a totally different side of America. What I knew of America came mostly from the stuff I heard on the news, but being a judge on this show gave me a chance to see how wonderful and diverse the country is; from the different beliefs people have and the accents they speak with, to the ways they spend time together.

The people I met and spent time with were so warm and friendly and helped me see that England and America are not as dissimilar as I’d once thought. The sort of problems this show brought up, be it homelessness, poverty, people in trouble, or war veterans in need, were problems that I saw when I returned home too. That made me realise that my “Big Give” radar was already switched on.

And as for the actual competition, I have to be honest and say I didn't really know who would be standing at the end. As the weeks went on, some of the contestants seemed to get more and more thoughtful and their gives became more genuine. At the same time, some of the people I had thought were really on the ball at the beginning started struggling and became less able to deliver impressive gives. My opinions and emotions about who would win changed several times over the course of the show.

Stephen did particularly well in the final challenge, and congratulations to him for winning because I think it was a pretty tough competition all the way through. Cameron and Brandi were bloody good competitors. Though it took a little bit longer for Cameron to open up and show his softer side, once he did, he was fantastic.

Brandi was also a close runner-up. She proved that the clichés about beauty queens aren’t true and turned out to be a bright, fantastic, hard working lady. I think she managed to be tough at the right times and emotional at the right times.

And as for the cash prize, Oprah didn’t even tell me about the money, so I was just as surprised as the contestants when they found out! I know for a fact they were shocked by this twist because I saw their reactions firsthand. As a judge, the question is; Would I have made different choices if I knew I was giving away $1,000,000? I don’t think I would have, and I’m still happy with the decisions I made. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who got into the spirit of the Big Give over the course of the series. I really hope you all continue to give big. It’s been a fantastic experience – Cheers!