Roxanne’s pal: “People always assume she’s attention seeking”
She’s caused huge controversy in the CBB house, but Roxanne Pallett’s close friend insists she’s simply misunderstood
The Celebrity Big
Brother house is no stranger to drama, but as Closer went to press, fans had been left outraged by Roxanne Pallett, after she accused fellow housemate Ryan Thomas of being a “womanbeater” and said she was hurt following what appeared to be a harmless play fight. Meanwhile, Ryan was baffled and threatened to leave after receiving an official warning from Big Brother.
Roxanne, 35, broke down in tears and refused to sleep in the same bedroom as Ryan, but fans flooded Ofcom with complaints against her – insisting Ryan had “barely touched” the former Emmerdale actress and that she should be removed from the house.
Ryan’s girlfriend, Lucy Mecklenburgh, quickly responded in a Tweet, writing, “Please RT or like if u want Roxanne removed. I don’t think she is mentally fit to be in the house.” Former CBB star Denise Welch added, “I truly believe Roxanne needs to be removed from #cbb. She’s clearly not well”.
Roxanne – who told Closer in 2016 that she’d suffered anxiety and had a violent boyfriend in the past – and Ryan, 34, have a stormy history. They reportedly fell out in 2008, hours before the Soap Awards, after Ryan gave her a heads-up that one of his Corrie co-stars was planning to wear the same dress as her and asked her not to wear it. They were then said to have fallen out months later, when Ryan accused her of flirting with another man behind her then-boyfriend Richard Fleeshman’s back.
But the star’s close friend, Ed Gleave, tells Closer that viewers haven’t seen the real her. He says, “In person, she is one of the kindest and warmest people you could meet. And as a friend she is loyal and supportive. She is always full of energy, which people always assume is her being attentionseeking. But she is just naturally a very excitable person. It’s a real shame people haven’t seen more of her wonderful personality on CBB. She’s sensitive and she’ll be devastated by the backlash.”
Before entering the house, Roxanne admitted she needed breathing exercises to stay calm, and told host Emma Willis, “When I unravel... well, you’ll see. [I’m like] Disney gone wrong.”