Why Did Roxanne Pallett Leave 'Celebrity Big Brother'? The Actor Was Deliberating Over ‘Sensitive Issues’, Her Rep Says

Roxanne Pallett has left the Celebrity Big Brother house after alleging she was punched by housemate Ryan Thomas, which Thomas refuted. Many viewers of the show characterised the interaction between the two as play-fighting, with Thomas stressing there was “no malice, hurt or anger” involved. On September 1, Pallett officially left CBB; an official spokesperson for the show stated, "Roxanne has decided to leave the BB House. The remaining housemates have been informed."

A spokesperson for Pallett told Bustle, "Roxanne decided to leave the CBB house late last night after deliberating for two days with some sensitive issues she felt strongly about." They added, "She has now been reunited with her fiancé and family and thanks everyone for their support during her time in the show."

The incident between former Emmerdale star Pallett and Thomas, previously of Coronation Street, was aired on Thursday night's episode of Celebrity Big Brother. Thomas appeared to play fight with Pallett, who subsequently alleged he had hurt her.

After asking to speak to a producer off-camera, Pallett said in the Diary Room:

"I'm just a little bit in shock. I went from being upset to angry now because a boy has punched me, repeatedly, unprovoked, completely deliberate. He actually punched me like a boxer would punch a bag. And we weren't play fighting. It wasn't banter, it wasn't a joke, there was no exchange. I can't believe you're letting somebody stay that's done that. It's not OK."

Thomas was subsequently called into the Diary Room, where he was issued a warning for physical contact. Producers told him:

"Before you entered the Big Brother house, rules regarding unacceptable behaviour were clearly explained to you. Big Brother has called you into the Diary Room because you have broken this rule; at 3.55 p.m. today, Big Brother noticed that whilst almost play fighting, you punched Roxanne in the ribs. This caused Roxanne to say, 'Ow that bloody hurt.' Whether you intended to hurt Roxanne or not is irrelevant."

Thomas apologised and stressed he had no intention of hurting Pallett, as the BBC reports, saying:

"We both know and Roxanne knows there was no malice, hurt or anger in anything I did during this time. I am sorry and I understand."

The incident caused a social media frenzy, and Ofcom received over 11,000 complaints about the episode, the BBC reports. Many viewers posted on Twitter, according to the broadcaster, that Thomas was simply play-fighting.

It's been a problematic season of Celebrity Big Brother: earlier in August, Rodrigo Alves was removed from the house after repeatedly using the n-word, according to the Guardian. And this series could be the beginning of the end for the British Big Brother franchise as a whole — as the Guardian reports, Channel 5 controller Ben Frow anticipates "a year without Big Brother" and has previously indicated "he would prefer to focus on other projects."