ITV has responded after scenes between housemates Omar and Rhianna on the current series of Big Brother sparked backlash from from viewers, with some calling for Omar to be removed from the house.
The criticism centres on the pair's turbulent romance on the current season. In the latest episode (20 October), Rhianna raised concerns about how Omar was treating her. He dismissed her feelings and later referred to her as a "little b*****d" while speaking to fellow housemate Yasmin.
Later, the pair appeared to reconcile but then had a tense exchange in which Rhianna said she disliked the way Omar spoke to her and tried to end their relationship.
Omar told her at one point not to cry and urged her to look at him as the conversation left her in tears, saying: "You’ve really f**ked me off by saying what you said... it's not fair."
Big Brother intervened during the moment and sent Rhianna to the Diary Room to check on her wellbeing.
"I'm not that good but I'll be fine," she said.
Viewers and some housemates described the dynamic as "toxic", including housemates Catrin and Twinks.
Responding to the concerns, a Big Brother spokesperson told Radio Times: "All housemates receive respect and inclusion training and an extensive briefing from the Big Brother senior team to prepare them for living in the house and to set out Big Brother's expectations for appropriate behaviour and language.
"Housemates are monitored 24 hours a day and any instances of inappropriate behaviour are responded to appropriately. Welfare and safeguarding are prioritised throughout the production, with a dedicated welfare team available to support housemates before, during and after their time in the house."
The friction between the pair had been building over several days, with Omar earlier taking issue with the way Rhianna asked housemate Lynx to cook for her.
During the interaction, Omar walked into the garden and told Rhianna: “You annoyed me today. Can’t you figure it out?”
When Rhianna asked if it was when she told Lynx "please", Omar replied: “Yeah.” When she asked if it was down to the way she had said it, he told her: “Yeah, it was a bit weird.” She was later seen in tears as other housemates checked on her.
Omar El Mayer, 21, is a jewellery seller from London, while Rhianna Collins, also 21, is from Chelsea.
Big Brother continues tonight on ITV2 and ITVX.
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