Mickey Rourke, 72, set to lose out on huge ITV CBB fee after dramatic axe from show
Mickey Rourke is set to have his reported £500,000 Celebrity Big Brother fee slashed after being removed from the ITV reality show.
The 72-year-old Hollywood actor was asked to leave the house following a series of incidents “involving inappropriate language and unacceptable behaviour.”
Rourke left the show yesterday after just six days in the house, soon after former MP Michael Fabricant was booted in the first official eviction following an ‘Islamophobia’ row.
ITV are now thought to be revising Rourke’s pay cheque as celebrities who are removed from the house, as opposed to voted out like Fabricant, do not receive their full fee.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Mickey Rourke, 72, AXED from ITV CBB after ‘further use of inappropriate language’Michael Fabricant fumes Trisha Goddard has ‘agenda’ following heated ITV CBB Islamophobia rowTrisha Goddard, 67, sparks outrage as she accuses Michael Fabricant of Islamophobia in bizarre row
“Mickey won’t be receiving all his money from ITV. If a celebrity gets removed from the house, they don’t get the full fee. It’s as simple as that and they will be discussing that with him,” an insider told The Sun.
The source added: “Mickey was ready to leave the house and it ended up feeling like a mutual decision between him and ITV in the end. It was getting too much.”
Hours before his exit, sources said production staff were “at their wits’ end with his antics”.
A spokesperson for Celebrity Big Brother said: “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.”
Rourke’s behaviour first made headlines after he made several homophobic remarks toward 21-year-old US singer JoJo Siwa.
The actor told her: “If I stay longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore” and declared his intention to “vote out the lesbian”.
He was given an official warning after his comments to Siwa and later apologised to her.
The final straw appears to have been “threatening and aggressive” behaviour toward Love Island star Chris Hughes during a disagreement in a task.
No physical altercation is thought to have taken place between the pair during the incident.
Rourke had been repeatedly warned about his behaviour by Celebrity Big Brother bosses in other scenes that weren’t aired, according to insiders.
The actor had reportedly been threatening to “break down the fire door to get out” before his departure.
Rourke’s controversial behaviour extended beyond his interactions with Siwa and Hughes. He made EastEnders star Patsy Palmer cry on Friday’s episode after repeated jibes about her cooking.
He also came under fire for comments made about Donna Preston’s weight.
Within minutes of his arrival on the show, viewers noted “creepy” behaviour as he made host AJ Odudu “uncomfortable” by staring at her body.
The presenter had to tell him to “stop looking at me” as she and co-host Will Best guided him away.
Rourke joins a list of celebrities who have had their big-money fees cut after being removed from reality shows, including Roxanne Pallett and Jeremy Jackson.