After a string of controversies in the Celebrity Big Brother house, Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke has been removed from the show due to what CBB labelled as "further use of inappropriate language and unacceptable behaviour."
Since his arrival at the start of the series, Mickey has consistently been at the centre of disputes, having made several fatphobic and homophobic comments, as well as mocking the culinary abilities of his fellow housemates.
Despite previous warnings from CBB to moderate his language and conduct, another incident has resulted in his expulsion from the show.
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A representative for Celebrity Big Brother stated: "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."
It's reported that after Wednesday's offensive comments, additional issues involving Rourke arose, with the tipping point occurring when he clashed with Love Island star Chris Hughes during a challenge.
While the confrontation didn't turn physical, the argument led to actions and words considered threatening and aggressive by CBB, prompting the decision to have Rourke exit the house, reports the Mirror.
The latest incident follows previous encounters with his housemates, which included a series of homophobic remarks towards JoJo Siwa. He made comments about Siwa's sexuality, telling her "If I stay longer than four days, you won't be gay anymore."
He also told the singer he would "tie you up" and later pledged to "vote out the lesbian", before being confronted by Siwa who criticised the star for being homophobic.
In another incident, he commented "I need a f**", referring to a cigarette, before gesturing to Siwa and bluntly saying "I'm not talking to you."
This led Chris Hughes to defend Jojo and tell Mickey "you can't say that", although it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
After the interaction, Mickey was called to the diary room and given an official warning by Big Brother. He later apologised, but any regret was short-lived as he came under fire for making fat phobic comments towards Donna Preston.
Even before all this played out on screen, Rourke had already faced widespread criticism from fans for his "creepy" behaviour towards AJ Odudu during Monday's launch show. The complaints arose from an "uncomfortable" amount of time he spent staring at her body, leading AJ to tell him to "stop looking at me."
Mickey's behaviour on the show has sparked outrage, with his comments about EastEnders star Patsy Palmer's cooking bringing her to tears. Patsy confided in Big Brother: "I tried to talk that one out but it didn't really work. I feel like I let myself down there and I don't want my reactions to be like that.
"I always want my kids to always stand up for themselves. Maybe it was just a joke - maybe I need to look at it like that. I need to try to rise above it. It doesn't mean I have to like him."
Meanwhile, Mickey remained oblivious to the distress he caused, even suggesting to Big Brother: "I think in future, you guys should hire really good chefs to feed the people."
The situation escalated as viewers took to social media, threatening to stop watching the show if Mickey wasn't removed. One appalled viewer demanded action on Twitter: "Sorry a warning isn't enough. Telling a 21 year old he'll tie her up? She won't be gay anymore? All the language he used? He's disgusting and should be removed straight away. #CBBUK #CBB."
Meanwhile, speculation is rife among fans that Mickey might have been prepared to leave I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
regardless of the public vote on Friday's episode. One eagle-eyed viewer remarked on social media, "He seemed pretty adamant this was a 4 day job - and it wouldn't be the first time he completed a short contract then self-eliminated," citing his brief stint on The Masked Singer US where he famously unmasked himself after his debut performance.
