Axed Celebrity Big Brother housemate Mickey Rourke was nowhere to be seen during the final of the ITV series on Friday night. The Hollywood actor is reportedly planning to sue the broadcaster following his pay being cut due to his removal from the house.
Coronation Street star Jack P Shepherd was crowned champion of the 2025 series of Celebrity Big Brother, with RuPaul Drag Race star Danny Beard coming runner-up. As the finalists left the house former housemates were in the studio to greet them – but Mickey was AWOL.
Bafta-winning actor Rourke, 72, known for his roles in The Wrestler and Sin City, was kicked out of the house after further “use of inappropriate language” and “instances of unacceptable behaviour”, including using “sexual language” in conversation with reality TV star Ella Rae Wise.
It’s since been reported that Rourke is planning to sue ITV after his pay was drastically cut due to his removal from the house. The actor is said to have been paid £500,000 for his Celebrity Big Brother stint but the fee was cut down to £50,000 thanks to his early exit.
Rourke isn’t happy with his compensation for his six-day stay. The Sun claims Rourke’s team believes the actor was removed from the house in order to dodge paying him his full fee, as had he stayed one day longer he would have been eligible for a larger amound.
The Only Way Is Essex star Ella Rae Wise said she was “glad” she will never have to see Rourke again after she was evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother house on Tuesday. Ella, 24, was upset by Rourke after he used sexually suggestive language that made her feel uncomfortable.
“I just didn’t appreciate it, and that’s all it was”, Ella told ITV ’s Lorraine. “And I feel that, for me, I just had distance from Mickey, and that was okay, and at the end of the day, it’s just one of them things. I didn’t appreciate what he said, and that’s what it is, and that’s how it’s got to be. And I’m just glad that I’ve never got to see him again.”
Asked if the other housemates feel the same, she said: “I think a few of us do feel like that way, yeah. It was a difficult situation to be in, but I feel like I handled myself really well. And just let it be whatever it is, and just kept my distance.”
More than 1,000 complaints were made about Celebrity Big Brother following Rourke being reprimanded for making homophobic remarks to reality star JoJo Siwa. The Oscar-nominated actor agreed to leave the ITV1 show after “further use of inappropriate language” and “instances of unacceptable behaviour” earlier in the series.
Rourke caused upset in the house from the start and was warned by Big Brother over “unacceptable language and behaviour” towards former Dance Moms star JoJo due to comments he made about her sexuality. Ofcom said that the moment, during April 9’s episode, attracted 1,010 complaints, which the media watchdog said was related to his “language towards JoJo Siwa”.
During the instalment, Rourke asked the YouTuber and singer, 21, if she “likes girls or boys”, and when she explained she is attracted to women and has a partner, who is non-binary, he responded saying “If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore”.
Later, he asked Love Island star Chris Hughes if the contestants have to vote their fellow housemates out, adding that he would “vote the lesbian out real quick”. JoJo overheard replying: “That’s homophobic, if that was your reasoning.”
Chris warned Rourke that he “can’t do that” before the former boxer said “I need a fag”, and gestured towards JoJo saying “I’m not talking to you”. Rourke was told by Chris he “can’t say that”, and said she was “talking about a cigarette”.
JoJo was visibly upset, and comforted by Chris before Rourke was given a “formal warning” in the diary room that “further language or behaviour of this nature could lead to you being removed”. There were a further 52 complaints for April 10’s episode, which were “related to housemates behaviour towards Mickey Rourke , and his subsequent eviction”.
The actor’s arrival last week during the live launch episode on April 7 also saw 78 complaints of viewers objecting to his “behaviour” towards co-host AJ Odudu. Before Rourke entered the Big Brother house, he twirled AJ around and pushed her body towards him, prompting co-host Will Best to advise him to be “careful”.
The actor, known for the movies Iron Man 2, 9 1/2 Weeks and Sin City, admitted before he left the house that he tried his “hardest to get out of here”, and said he had a “short fuse”. Rourke apologised for stepping “over the line” and losing his “temper”, and his issues with “self-control”.
“I’m ashamed of myself for losing it for a few seconds there. Nobody got touched or hurt,” he added. “Maybe some feelings got hurt or maybe others have feelings about others getting upset but, you know, I’m sorry about that.”
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