The top reason she won was Kiki + the door task

charlie won fair and square. she deserved to win. i wanted ashley to win but i didnt bother to vote. both were deserving winners so i didnt mind who won. well done to charlie. she got the votes from everyone who made the effort.

I like Charlie Brooks. I certainly don't dislike her.

Not from what I seen. Ashley came across better and had a better personality. It isn't sour grapes, it is just questioning.

Every single poll online had Ashley ahead by at least 60-40. Most were over 65 in Ashley's favour. In my opinion it was the casual viewers deciding to vote for a Brit at the end which is annoying. Ashley should have won based on entertainment and she made me laugh every episode, Charlie made me laugh once in the entire 3 weeks.

At the end, it was 100% the Brit vs. American thing. An American will never win a reality show. They always come 2nd or get to the final and don't win.

The casual viewer tuned in for the final and voted for the British one that they recognised. That's how she won it.

That sounds like either a band or a children's novel!

Completely agree with the OP.

I thought Ashley had the win when the This Morning poll had her as the winner that poll has never been wrong on the IAC vote

then came the KiKi phonecall "win it for me" "princess of the jungle"
then I knew Charlie would win

Plus it might not just have been adults and teenagers voting. Loads of children, have got mobile phones now haven't they. I'm not knocking them having phones of course - good for their safety when out.

I don't know how you can say she had a better personality, based on the tiny edited highlights we saw each day. Ashley as an experienced live performer might be better at putting herself across for the camera, but that doesn't mean much.

If you can't base it on the highlights what can you base it on?

From what we saw Ashley was fun while Charlie was a bore.

Yes, maybe Ashley was better at self-promotion and putting on an appealing persona to gain votes. That's not a better personality, though. Some people prefer a more modest, natural person.

Linda should have gotten further then.

Well, it's down to who gets the most votes, that's all. Nobody really knows what these people's actual personality is like, though. It surprises me that some people think they know someone is "a lovely person" from seeing them acting for a few moments in front of a camera.

If an American can come a close second, they can win. I really don't know why people are surprised or casting around for silly excuses - it seems obvious to me that the more modest, vulnerable Charlie is the kind of person who tends to win rtv shows; Ashley was the one who bucked the trend, as the ultra-confident, fit, good-looking contestants who never show a moment's self-doubt tend not even to come second. Not only are polls very often wrong, but they always tend to be wrong in the same way: they overvalue confident, chatty, glamorous people and undervalue quieter, more ordinary people. I alway thought Charlie had a good chance even when she was behind in the polls, just as I always knew Luke had a good chance of winning this year's BB even though he never topped a single poll for the duration of the series.

That is really very unlikely. Votes cost money - I thought they were very expensive actually - and are surely skewed towards those who have become engrossed in the series.

We brits like our winners to be a wee bit gritty, a wee bit vulnerable and human. Not the best dressed nor the best looking, someone we can easily empathise and identify with. Charlie had those qualities.IMO

I think that's true. David and Ashley were alike in a way, they just sailed through and oozed confidence all the way through. And of course they were the eye candy this year.

Maybe Ashley would have got more votes if she had let Charlie have the initial phone call instead of being selfish?

I agree.

I was expecting East Enders Actor .

EastEnders actress.

Actually females can be called Actors to in the business that is in fact the correct terminology.

It is entirely down to votes, or money spent. By that token - I believe that 1 Direction have had better record sales in a short time span than The Beatles. Does it necessarily follow that 1 Direction are a better band than The Beatles.

Its a popularity contest - nothing more - and despite Ashley being more entertaining (lets say to a viewer who knew nothing of either before) then it didn't matter what she did - she was never going to win.

It will be interesting to note regular posters on this IAC forum and the XF forum. I'm assuming that when Chris wins - all those who are saying it was fair and square that Charlie won IAC - will heartily come out and congratulate Chris on his win.

I have every confidence in you all!

Maybe if Ashley could have had a little child who was at home, missing her mummy and wanting to be a princess? Who knows - maybe if David had made a huge thing about his four year old - he would have been in the final with Charlie. Two parents battling it out for the title of Celebrity Parent of the Year and that Iceland contract. Then again if my auntie had a willy she'd be my uncle.

Nothing Ashley could have done would have won it for her.