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Roxanne Pallett CBB 'punchgate' was the most complained about TV story of the decade

19 December 2019, 11:41

Roxanne falsely accused Ryan Thomas of being violent with her on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.

Roxanne Pallett accusing Ryan Thomas of being violent with her on Celebrity Big Brother has become the most-complained about TV moment of the decade.

The incident - later branded 'punch-gate' - led to public outcry, and Roxanne subsequently walked from the house and went into hiding.

Ryan ended up winning the series of CBB. Picture: PA

OfCom have said that the episode on which the incident took place drew in a shock 25,237 complaints from viewers. The episode was responsible for half of all complaints to the watchdog in that year.

Roxanne told Big Brother that Ryan had intentionally hit her, when camera footage showed that it was in fact a play fight.

She later apologised twice on TV - on The Jeremy Vine Show and in an interview with Emma Willis - and she quit all her upcoming commitments, including her part of Cinderella in a pantomime.

Roxanne Pallett sparked outrage after falsely accusing Ryan Thomas of being violent with her. Picture: Channel 5

Roxanne subsequently wrote Ryan an apology note for her actions, with a source telling The Sun: “Ryan has finally received his letter from Roxanne.

“It was very heartfelt and unreservedly apologetic. He wants to put it to bed now and move on.”

She later posted a statement on Instagram about the incident, saying: “Thank you for all your message from over the last few months whilst I was taking some time away & getting some long overdue therapy for PTSD, Panic Disorder & Anxiety. Your support during my darkest days have meant more to me than you could possibly know.

“I felt so alone & unwelcome in this world that I prayed for God to take me away, but somehow I pushed through. And part of that was because I was shown love, understanding & compassion. When I had no fight left in me, others were fighting for me. The strength from a kind message, a reassuring smile or a hug in a supermarket were all part of the rescue which helped me take a step forward.

“As anyone who battles mental health knows, it’s a long road ahead. We are all human, we all make mistakes, we are all learning. Just trying to get through each day. I just wanted to say thank you. (sic)".

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