Kerry Katona has defended axed Celebrity Big Brother star Mickey Rourke, claiming the Hollywood star ‘didn’t deserve’ to get the boot – despite offending his housemates with a string of homophobic, misogynistic and threatening outbursts.
Mickey, 72, was removed from the house this month after he branded panSєxual JoJo Siwa a ‘f*g’, claimed he wanted to ‘come in’ Ella Rae Wise, 24, and squared up to ‘c***’ Chris Hughes, 32.
Yet Kerry, who finished in second place on CBB in 2011, insisted there’s been ‘worse’ things on the ITV show.
Writing in her new! magazine column, she penned: ‘I’m a little behind on Celebrity Big Brother but I still can’t believe Mickey Rourke was removed from the house – I’m not sure he 100% deserved to go.
‘I didn’t agree with the Sєxual comments he made towards Ella Rae Wise at all, but I’m not sure the incident with Chris Hughes warranted him being shown the door. I think we have seen some worse things on Big Brother over the years.’
Weighing in the other housemates, she continued: ‘I wasn’t too keen on Trisha Goddard – she was the right person to be evicted last week. I still like JoJo Siwa and Chris, but I think they’ve got some underlying feelings for one another. I know she’s got a partner but that hasn’t stopped people on the show before.’
Kerry Katona has defended axed Celebrity Big Brother star Mickey Rourke, claiming the Hollywood star ‘didn’t deserve’ to get the boot
Mickey was removed from the house after offending his housemates with a string of homophobic, misogynistic and threatening outbursts
Mickey was removed from the Big Brother house two weeks ago shortly after he left fellow housemate Ella in tears with a vile Sєxual comment.
During pirate themed challenge TOWIE’s Ella, 24, told the group: ‘I have instructions for us all. We’re not allowed in the bedroom, no one is allowed to touch the crisps or sweets.’
‘I don’t like them’ Mickey said, as Ella continued: ‘You’ve got to come with me’.
To which The Wrestler actor responded: ‘Come in you’, shocked Drag Race star Danny Bear, 32, quickly interjected saying: ‘Mickey, you can’t make them jokes.’
Later Mickey got into a heated altercation with Chris when he accused the Love Island star of ‘eyeballing’ him’ before calling him a ‘c***’.
Following the outburst Chris told his fellow housemates: ‘Mickey’s just Mickey, you know what I mean’.
But an emotional Ella broke down and said: ‘It’s fine, you can be just someone, but be mindful of what it can trigger in other people, because it’s made me feel very uneasy’.
Fans rejoiced on X after Mickey was ‘finally’ removed from the house following a string of incidents that left his co-stars and viewers at home uncomfortable.
Mickey, 72, was removed from the house this month after a string of controversial comments, including branding panSєxual JoJo Siwa a ‘f*g’ and saying he could turn her straight
He left fellow housemate Ella Rae Wise in tears with a vile Sєxual comment, saying he could ‘come in’ while they did a Pirates-themed task
The confrontation occurred during the latest pirate themed shopping task when Mickey accused Chris, 32, of ‘eyeballing’ him’ before calling the reality star a ‘c***’.
It began when JoJo, who had been given the role of captain, lined up her fellow housemates, asking: ‘Ahoy. How have things been going out here?’.
‘There is a rat amongst us, Captain’ Trisha, 67, said and when Chris turned to Mickey, the actor fumed: ‘You looking at me?’.
While JoJo attempted to defuse the situation and Chris ᴀssured Mickey it was simply a joke, the actor exploded: ‘Don’t eyeball me’.
‘Don’t f***ing eyeball me. You c***’ he went on, as more housemates continued to try and calm the furious actor down. As tensions boiled, Chris said: ‘F***ing stand there’ before Mickey was told to go to the diary room ‘immediately’.
‘Mickey, it was a joke’ Chris said again, only for the actor to point and the ground and reply: ‘No, your a** will be right there in a second’.
In the Diary Room Big Brother told Mickey: ‘Earlier today in a disagreement with Chris, your language and behaviour was threatening and aggressive’.
‘Big Brother does not tolerate threatening language or behaviour. In addition, you have used inappropriate Sєxual language to Ella’.
Big Brother reminded Mickey that this was not the first time he had been spoken to about his ‘offensive and inappropriate’ language – after making homophobic comments to JoJo and offending other members of the house earlier in the week.
Later Mickey got into a heated altercation with Chris Hughes, 32, when he accused the Love Island star of ‘eyeballing’ him’ before calling him a ‘c***’
He proffered: ‘Yes sir. I did wrong. I apologise. I’m sorry. I can’t take it back, you know, I stepped over the line. And I take responsibility for doing the wrong thing. ‘Cause I lost my temper, and I’ve been trying to work on it my whole life and I wish I would have had better self-control and I’m very sorry’.
‘I’m ashamed of myself for losing it for a few seconds there. Nobody got touched or hurt. Maybe some feelings got hurt or maybe others have feelings about others getting upset but, you know, I’m sorry about that’.
However Big Brother said that his behaviour was considered ‘seriously unacceptable’ and they had ‘no option’ but to ask him to leave.
Mickey responded: ‘I blame myself, I know it was my bad. You know, I’ve got a short fuse and I know I upset a lot of people out there, you know. And I’m sorry for that. I’m actually ashamed of myself for getting that H๏τ’.
‘I went over the line, you know, I did wrong. I guess, like they say, I’m a work in progress. I just wanna pack my bags and leave, you know. I wanted to leave yesterday actually but I wasn’t chosen.’
A spokesperson for Celebrity Big Brother confirmed the news saying: ‘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.’
Days prior, Mickey had made homophobic slurs towards JoJo.
Kerry appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2011 and finished in second place (pictured with Darryn Lyons and Paddy Doherty)
Mickey asked the Dance Moms star: ‘Do you like girls or boys?’ to which she replied: ‘Me? Girls. My partner is non-binary.’
Doubling down on his claims he would be able to change her Sєxuality, Mickey then insists: ‘If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore.’
JoJo then replied: ‘I can guarantee I’ll still be gay and I’ll still be in a very happy relationship.’
Later in the episode, which got 1.55million views, Mickey asked Chris if everyone had to vote one another out of the house, with the Wrestler star stating: ‘I’m going to vote the lesbian out real quick.’
JoJo overheard and hit back: ‘That’s homophobic, if that was your reasoning’, as Chris defended her by interjecting: ‘You can’t do that Mickey’.
Undeterred, Mickey continued: ‘I need a fag’ before gesturing to JoJo and adding: ‘I’m not talking to you.’
Chris once again hits back saying, ‘Mickey, you can’t say that’, to which he replied: ‘I know. I was talking about a cigarette.’
Mickey was issued a formal warning from Big Brother for his behaviour but many viewers claimed show bosses should have gone a step further and removed him from the house.
Prompted by Big Brother he said sorry in the Diary Room and confessed: ‘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.’
CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER 2025: MEET THE LINEUP!
MICKEY ROURKE – REMOVED
AGE: 72
FAMOUS FOR: The actor and former pro boxer is one of the show’s biggest ever signings and after public feuds with Robert De Niro, two marriages and a string of high profile relationships, he will be bringing plenty of drama.
DALEY THOMPSON – EVICTED
AGE: 66
FAMOUS FOR: The double Olympic gold-medallist is considered one of Britain’s greatest athletes. He broke the decathlon world record four times.
PATSY PALMER
AGE: 52
FAMOUS FOR: It’s an open secret that Patsy is leaving EastEnders, with the actress enjoying a wild leaving party this month. The Bianca Jackson star posted a snap of her character on Instagram with the caption: ‘Bye bye B, always grateful to see her again.’
DONNA PRESTON
AGE: 38
FAMOUS FOR: While Donna has featured in several TV shows and movies, the comedy star is known for hosting Apocalypse and for the role of a circus Compere in 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald. She plays Den in Coronation Street, has featured in Pants On Fire in 2019 and even wrote and co-produced BBC Three’s Comedy Threesomes.
CHESNEY HAWKES
AGE: 53
FAMOUS FOR: The singer topped the charts for five weeks in 1991 with his hit The One And Only, before making a string of acting and TV appearances. His arrival on CBB has been described by a TV source as ‘perfect timing’, as he’s just released a comeback album
ANGELLICA BELL
AGE: 49
FAMOUS FOR: The TV presenter is said to have landed a staggering five-figure deal to appear on Celebrity Big Brother. Fans will be keen to see if the CBBC legend spills all on her untimely exit from The Martin Lewis Show – which left fans baffled back in 2023. Angellica currently co-presents Hits Radio while Fleur East is on maternity leave.
DANNY BEARD
AGE: 32
FAMOUS FOR: The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner – whose real name is Daniel Curtis – has signed up as a late entry. Danny previously made headlines after swearing on Big Brother’s Late & Live last March whilst doing an impression of housemate Louis Walsh. The incident saw the guest say the word ‘c***’ before immediately apologising after being informed they weren’t allowed to say that on the show.
CHRIS HUGHES
AGE: 32
FAMOUS FOR: After shooting to fame on Love Island in 2017, Chris went on to become a sports presenter and regularly hosts the horse racing coverage on ITV.
JOJO SIWA
AGE: 21
FAMOUS FOR: The American singer, who sH๏τ to stardom on reality show Dance Moms, is expected to draw a big American audience. The hitmaker has made a name for herself in the U.S. pop charts and is known for her outlandish looks and being a vocal member of the LGBTQ+ community.
TRISHA GODDARD – EVICTED
AGE: 67
FAMOUS FOR: The talk show host regularly presented on ITV from 1998 to 2004 and then shifted to Channel 5 from 2004 to 2010. Trisha has been suffering horrible side effects of her chemotherapy – but has bravely battled on.
JACK P. SHEPHERD
AGE: 37
FAMOUS FOR: The actor has played David Platt in Corrie since 2000 and is following in his pal Colson Smith’s footsteps by taking part in the popular reality show. He has won a string of awards for the role including Best Actor at the British Soap Awards.
ELLA RAE WISE
AGE: 24
FAMOUS FOR: Producers have been keen to land the TV personality, who previously dated Pete Wicks and has had an on-off romance with Dan Edgar. Bosses are hoping the TOWIE star might reveal all about some of her other famous exes.
MICHAEL FABRICANT – EVICTED
AGE: 74
FAMOUS FOR: The former Conservative politician is understood to have signed a lucrative six-figure deal to take part after political stars were banned from the broadcaster’s other reality show, I’m A Celeb. He served as MP for Lichfield in Staffordshire from 1992 until his defeat in 2024 as well as vice-chairman of the party under David Cameron. But he is perhaps best known for his blond mop for which he has been widely ridiculed but previously denied is a wig.
