Just a few weeks ago, few people had heard of Eugene Sully, the Big Brother runner-up who has been labelled the supergeek of Sussex.

But now not even his own mother can grab five minutes with her famous son, let alone his local paper.

The Argus has been trying to pin Eugene down for an interview ever since he left the reality TV show house on August 12 but according to his mum his feet haven't touched the ground.

Janet Sully, of Pound Hill, Crawley, said: "I haven't seen him since the night of the final in London.

"I went up for the end-of-show party and it was really exciting, but I only saw him for about 15 minutes.

"Since then he has called me a couple of times but I haven't really caught up with him for a proper chat so I don't really know what he has been up to.

"He has tried to come to see me twice but both times he has been pulled away to do something else. His feet haven't touched the ground, there is so much going on."

Eugene, 27, an engineer, is now £50,000 richer but has declared he will not be turned by fame and fortune and plans to go on living with his parents.

But since he left the house he has not had a chance to set foot in Sussex as he is whisked off to radio shows, television appearances, book launches and parties.

As a member of the Crawley Amateur Radio Club he was thrilled to chat to Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles last week.

He has also been interviewed on Southern Counties radio.

On August 14, Eugene appeared on Top of the Pops as a guest presenter and was interviewed by programme host Fearne Cotton.

Last Monday, Crawley's first reality TV star was behind the wheel promoting a road safety course for young drivers at Goodwood motor circuit.

The drivers' skills course was launched two years ago by West Sussex County Council to tackle the number of young people involved in road accidents.

Today he is at the launch of the official Big Brother book, Access All Areas, in Piccadilly, London.

Mrs Sully, who has been bombarded with calls from the media over the last fortnight, said: "He is certainly not up for a quiet life and is happy to get involved in all sorts of things.

"I expect it will quieten down a bit after a while.

"It was extremely strange to see him on TV initially but then I thought if you can't beat them join them and I very sadly became completely hooked on Big Brother."

Eugene missed out on the Big Brother 2005 crown by only a few votes in the show's most closely-fought final.

The self-confessed virgin was pipped to the post by Geordie dancer Anthony Hutton.

Eugene was greeted by a cheering crowd shouting "We love you!" and waving banners saying "Geek Chic" as he left the house.