The latest series of Celebrity Big Brother has already been filled with plenty of drama after Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke departed the show due to ‘unacceptable behaviour’
The latest series of Celebrity Big Brother has been on our screens for less than a week, but it’s already brought plenty of dramatic moments. With housemates including soap legends Jack P Shepherd and Patsy Palmer as well as Love Island’s Chris Hughes and singer JoJo Siwa, the series has been bursting with memorable moments as the celebs get to grips with life in the house.
However, the latest series has been marred by controversy amid the departure of Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke. An ITV spokesperson confirmed Mickey agreed to leave the CBB house after having a discussion “regarding further use of inappropriate language and instances of unacceptable behaviour”.
But this isn’t the first time that Celebrity Big Brother or Big Brother has made headlines for some of its more tense points. Here, The Mirror takes a look at some of Big Brother’s most controversial moments…
Race rows
In 2007, student Emily Parr – then 19 – was booted out of the Elstree compound in the early hours of the morning for using the ‘N word.’ Emily attempted to defend the use of a slur, calling it a ‘joke’, but was called to the diary room by producers and instructed to leave the house immediately.
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The show also received more than 2,000 Ofcom complaints in 2015 over alleged bullying behaviour by Helen Wood towards housemate Brian Belo. The pair – who were both previous winners of the show – returned to the famous house as part of a twist but the move proved highly controversial.
Helen described Brian as ‘looking like a murderer and a rapist.’ A spokesperson for Big Brother sad at the time: “Ofcom assessed a number of complaints about bullying in Big Brother and has decided they do not raise issues under our rules warranting further investigation. We were satisfied that Channel 5 had broadcast clear and appropriate warnings about the potentially offensive content, and that it intervened in heated exchanges and situations at appropriate times.
“We also took into account audience expectations for this reality format and the fact that the series was broadcast after the watershed.”
Former host Davina McCall previously said she knew Jade Goody’s life had been ‘ruined forever’ when she witnessed the horrifying race row that engulfed Celebrity Big Brother in 2007. Jade became the first reality TV star to earn a million pounds before returning to the Big Brother house for a celebrity version of the show.
But on her second appearance she clashed with Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty and dubbed her ‘Shilpa Poppodom’ and alongside S Club 7’s Jo O’Meara and Danielle Lloyd also bullied the actress, leading to over 50,000 complaints.
Recalling the scenes, Davina said: “I remember thinking ‘Oh my God what’s happened?’ How it can all turn in a nano second. She’s now become the most hated girl in Britain. It was a bit like knowing you’re about to ruin someone’s life forever, but they don’t know it yet. Ooof.”
Dermot O’Leary, who hosted spin off show Big Brother’s Little Brother, also looks back on the incident with sadness. “It was absolutely insane, the story just got so big so quickly. I remember seeing… guys burning effigies of Jade in India and I thought this s*** has got absolutely out of hand. The incendiary nature of the whole thing made us really quite worried about her… at the same time it would have been remiss of me in my job not to hold her to account. Yeah, it was difficult.”
Kinga and the wine bottle
For many fans of the show, one stand out scene will forever be Kinga Karalczak appearing to get ‘intimate’ with a wine bottle in front of some of her housemates on the 2005 series.
Speaking of the incident in 2012, the former reality TV star said: “On Big Brother they want you to go crazy so give you loads of alcohol. And drinking makes me behave like a completely different person. So I just put the bottle between my legs, ran into the garden and did it again. I know I didn’t even lift up my nightie. I didn’t have sex in the pool or in the house, but everyone’s labelling me as the slapper.”
Of leaving the show to see the shocking headlines about the incident, Kinga said: “I can’t believe the reaction. I was just messing around because I was tipsy, but it never actually touched me.”
A frisky night in the pool
That same year Makosi Musambasi and eventual winner Anthony Hutton were seen downing booze before appearing to engage in sexual activity in the swimming pool.
Anthony denied they had full sex but 48 hours later Makosi went to the diary room and asked if she could have a pregnancy test. She left the house weeks later to screams of ‘liar’ from the crowd.
In 2014, housemates Steven Goode and Kimberly Kisselovich moved their relationship to a sexual level after falling for each other in the house. Kimberley quit the show on Day 44 because of ‘illness’ but later disclosed she left after falling pregnant with Steven’s baby, which she tragically miscarried after suffering an ectopic pregnancy.
Nine months after the show, Kimberley and Steven tied the knot in a private wedding, with their Big Brother friends Helen Wood and Bianca Lake attending their big day. The pair reportedly split just months later.
Fight night
Big Brother series five might be best remembered for the infamous ‘fight night’ where a number of the housemates got involved with a notorious brawl that led to security guards bursting into the house.
Following a fake eviction, pals Emma Greenwood and Michelle Bass made a shocking reappearance – sparking a huge row with Victor Ebuwa, Nadia Almada, Marco Sabba and Jason Cowan joining in. Security stormed the house as the argument turned violent with food and platters being thrown. Emma was unceremoniously kicked out of the house the next day for breaching rules.
Punchgate
One of the biggest Big Brother scandals in later years came on a celebrity edition with the infamous ‘punch gate’ scandal involving soap stars Roxanne Pallett and Adam Thomas. Former Emmerdale actress Roxanne accused Ryan of ‘punching her’ in a ‘deliberate attack’ during their time in the house.
The incident stunned viewers who bombarded Ofcom with complaints over Ryan’s treatment. The Ex Corrie star broke down in tears and said his life was ‘in tatters’ after Roxanne branded him a ‘woman beater’. The incident was caught on camera and showed both actors laughing as Ryan appeared to playfully punch Roxanne as she carried a pile of dirty washing.
“Ow – woman beater that bl***y hurt. I was going to ask if you wanted your washing done but I might shrink them instead,” she exclaimed before giggling. But she later sobbed in the Diary Room claiming she had been “punched repeatedly, unprovoked and completely deliberately” by Ryan and called for him to be removed from the Channel 5 show.
“I went from being upset to being angry, because a boy has punched me repeatedly, unprovoked,” said Roxanne. “And we weren’t play fighting, there was no banter, it wasn’t a joke,” she claimed in the diary room.
Roxanne spent the night away from her housemates after saying she did not ‘feel safe’, before returning to the compound the next morning. She went on to quit days later. Speaking after her departure, Roxanne said: “Watching it feels like a completely different scenario to what it felt at the time.”
Mickey’s ‘unacceptable behaviour’
Mickey Rourke agreed to leave this year’s Celebrity Big Brother house after causing a stir during his short stint on the show. Confirming his exit, an ITV spokesperson said: “Mickey Rourke has agreed to leave the Celebrity Big Brother House this evening following a discussion with Big Brother regarding further use of inappropriate language and instances of unacceptable behaviour.”
During his time in the house, Mickey had been warned by Celebrity Big Brother bosses about his behaviour after making homophobic and fat-shaming comments to fellow housemates JoJo Siwa and Donna Preston. After entering the show, Mickey made homophobic comments towards JoJo and claimed he could ‘turn her straight’.
During a chat, he asked JoJo: “Where’s the smoke room? Where’s the cigarette room?,” before then asking: “Do you like girls or boys?”
“Me? Girls. My partner is non-binary,” JoJo replied, before Mickey said: “If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore.” JoJo then answered: “I can guarantee I’ll still be gay and I’ll still be in a very happy relationship.”
Mickey then told fellow housemate Chris Hughes: “I’m going to vote the lesbian out real quick.” JoJo overheard and replied: “That’s homophobic, if that was your reasoning.”
At one point while talking about having a smoke, he said: “I need a fag,” before gesturing to JoJo and saying: “I’m not talking to you.” Chris Hughes then interjected and said: “Mickey, you can’t say that.”
Big Brother gave him a stern warning, telling him in the Diary Room: “Mickey before you entered the Big Brother house the rules regarding unacceptable language and behaviour were explained to you … Mickey, do you understand how this language could be offensive to your Housemates or the viewing public?”
He replied: “Yeah I think so. If I was saying it in a nasty kind of way or if I truly meant it.” Big Brother added: “Mickey, Big Brother thinks your language was offensive and unacceptable… As a result, Big Brother is giving you a formal warning. Further language or behaviour of this nature could lead to you being removed from the Big Brother house. Mickey, do you understand?”
Mickey then answered: “Yes I do. It’s some serious stuff …. I apologise. I don’t have dishonourable intentions – I’m just talking smack you know. I wasn’t taking it all so serious. I didn’t mean in it any bad intentions and if I did, sorry.”
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