Roxanne Pallett quits Celebrity Big Brother 2018 following 'punching' row
The contestant had accused fellow housemate Ryan Thomas of punching her in a play fight
Roxanne Pallett has left Celebrity Big Brother 2018 in dramatic fashion following a row over a 'punching' incident with fellow housemate Ryan Thomas.
Channel 5 has confirmed that the former Emmerdale star has left the series following the episode which has seen over 11,000 complaints made to regulator Ofcom.
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Roxanne had accused Ryan of punching her during what appeared to be play fighting between the pair. At the time she appeared to laugh it off, but later she demanded to speak with CBB producers, saying, "A boy has punched me repeatedly, unprovoked and deliberately punched me. Like a boxer punches a bag."
Ryan was later given a formal warning by Celebrity Big Brother.
Viewers online however have defended Ryan, saying that Roxanne was overreacting and that her accusations undermine real domestic abuse incidents.
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Emmerdale star Charley Webb said that she was "furious for Ryan Thomas and all the women who actually do suffer from abuse". However, other viewers have warned not to dismiss her claims out of hand.
Roxanne was allowed by producers to sleep in a separate room to the other housemates. During Friday's eviction she offered to leave, but in the end fellow housemate Ben Jardine left the series following the public vote.
When Ben was later shown footage of the incident between Roxanne and Ryan he branded himself "a mug" for believing Roxanne's story.
"It breaks my heart… to that, she’s laughed it off hasn’t she?" he said in his post-eviction interview. "Now I feel I’ve been mugged right off again. I’m such a mug, aren’t I? It does my head in. I always fall for it, don’t I?"
Channel 5 has since confirmed that Roxanne has quit the show, with a spokesperson saying, "Roxanne has decided to leave the BB House. The remaining housemates have been informed."
