Big Brother star Rochelle Rackham has found herself at the centre of a racism row on the ITV reality series.
The contestant, 57, has proved a divisive figure in the house, with co-star Johanne, a Black woman, sharing on air that she felt that one situation with Rochelle in the kitchen ‘felt like a microaggression.’
Ofcom received almost 500 complaints from viewers accusing Rochelle of racism and bullying after a clash with Johanne earlier in the series.
Shortly after, a racist social media repost from Rochelle from 11 years ago was unearthed, which targeted Muslims.
A family source said: ‘Eleven years ago, Rochelle reposted a meme on her social media which she later deleted after becoming aware of the offence it could cause.’
The source added that she ‘regretted’ sharing it and would ‘never want to cause anyone hurt or upset’.
‘She would be genuinely sorry to anyone offended by the post, and the language used in it does not reflect her values,’ they concluded.
It is understood ITV is aware of this historic post but she will remain in the house.
Although all contestants are required to attend Respect and Inclusion training before entering the house, it has now been claimed that an anecdote told by Rochelle, characterised as racist, was cut from Big Brother.
An insider told The Sun: ‘Rochelle was talking to Lynx and some other housemates and told a story about one day when she was on the train.
‘She said “I was on a train once and this black guy was acting weird and muttering to himself”.
‘Lynx was offended by the conversation and spoke to her about the language she used and how it made him feel. But he acknowledges to Rochelle that he knows there wasn’t any intent behind it.
‘They hugged and she apologised several times, agreeing she didn’t mean anything by it.’
Elsewhere in the series, the mum-of-three has also been blasted for making ‘fat-shaming’ comments towards 19-year-old Millie and insensitive remarks about amputees to fellow housemate Charlotte.
Metro has reached out to ITV for comment.