'Celebrity Big Brother': Roxanne Pallett 'Punch' Row Sparks 25,000 Ofcom Complaints

The number of ’Celebrity Big Brother’ viewers to have complained to Ofcom over recent scenes involving Roxanne Pallett and Ryan Thomas has now risen to more than 25,000.

Last week, Roxanne accused Ryan of “repeatedly” and “deliberately” punching her, which she has since conceded was a “mistake” and an “overreaction”.

Over the weekend, it was reported that as many as 11,000 people had complained to Ofcom over the incident in the space of just a few days, and this figure has now more than doubled in under a week.

In fact, Digital Spy has reported that 25,257 complaints have now been made to the media regulator, who will assess the complaints before deciding whether to launch an investigation, as is standard procedure.

After choosing to leave the house of her own accord, Roxanne has now given two interviews to explain her side of the story.

The first was with broadcaster Jeremy Vine, who she told: “I got it wrong. My mind was clouded and my sensitivity was heightened, I wasn’t thinking straight, and that’s something I need to go away and work on.

“I need to become a better person.”

Following this, she sat down with ‘CBB’ host Emma Willis for a pre-recorded interview, in which she shared her fears that she was now the “most hated girl in Britain”.

Roxanne has since revealed her intention to take time out from the spotlight to “reflect on recent events”, quitting her breakfast radio show as well as an upcoming role in a pantomime.

Meanwhile, Ryan Thomas’s girlfriend, Lucy Mecklenburgh, has criticised the show for the way things played out, suggesting producers “fuelled” the drama by giving the actor a formal warning and leaving him in “too much distress for too long”.