With Big Brother making a hotly anticipated return to our screens this week, some of the most controversial moments from the show's history are resurfacing online - and they’ve got everyone talking.
One of these is undoubtedly what came to be known, however crassly, as 'punch-gate.' When Roxanne Pallett accused her Celebrity Big Brother co-star, Ryan Thomas, of punching her in the ribs, it became one of the most talked about reality TV moments in history. Roxanne went on to be the subject of many negative headlines and even experienced trolling on her Wikipedia page.
Here's everything we know about Roxanne Pallet and that Celebrity Big Brother incident...
Who is Roxanne Pallett?
Roxanne rose to fame for her role as Jo Stiles in Emmerdale, after joining the soap in 2005. She was born in Cumbria and brought up in Carlisle by her family.
But it wasn't until 2018 that Roxanne truly made the headlines following her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother - the final series of the show. It was here that she found herself embroiled in one of reality TV's most talked-about moments ever, when she accused her co-star Ryan Thomas of ‘punching’ her.
She has also appeared in various other TV shows, including Celebrity Stars in Their Eyes Soapstar Superstar, Dancing on Ice and Celebrity Island With Bear Grylls.
How old is Roxanne Pallett?
Roxanne was born on 28 December 1982, making her 40 years old.
What happened between Roxanne Pallett and Ryan Thomas on Celebrity Big Brother?
In 2018, Roxanne was the centre of lots of negative headlines after she accused her co-star Ryan Thomas of punching her. The incident was caught on camera when Ryan appeared to playfully punch Roxanne as she carried a pile of dirty washing. At the time, Roxanne responded ‘ Ow - woman beater that bl***y hurt. I was going to ask if you wanted your washing done but I might shrink them instead,’ while laughing.
However, things escalated when Roxanne went into the Diary Room, where she claimed she had been ‘punched repeatedly, unprovoked and completely deliberately’ by Ryan and called for him to be removed from the Channel 5 show. ‘And we weren't play fighting, there was no banter, it wasn't a joke,’ she added.
Later, Roxanne told the other housemates that Ryan had punched her repeatedly in the ribs ‘like a boxer punches a bag’, while demonstrating what she meant to another contestant by punching him. That night, Roxanne asked to sleep a separate bedroom because she was ‘suffering’ and ‘didn't feel comfortable’ sleeping in the same room as Ryan. This led to Big Brother giving Ryan a 'formal warning' after reviewing the footage and claimed that 'while almost play fighting you punched Roxanne in the ribs.’
'I think that we both know and Roxanne knows that there was no malice and hurt, or anger, in anything that I did during this time,' Ryan said after he was given the warning. 'But from your point of view, while doing this show, I'm sorry and I understand.'
Her actions sparked enormous online vitriol, particularly from Ryan’s fans who argued he did not need a formal warning over her behaviour. The incident - later branded 'punch-gate' - also sparked 25,000 complaints to Ofcom. Fans could be heard chanting 'get Roxy out' at the next eviction.
After hearing the chants, Roxanne quit the series. Ryan went on to win the series, and received a letter of apology from Roxanne afterwards. She had a tough time in the months after leaving the show, telling The Sun in 2019 'I’ve lost my career, my radio jobs, my life as I knew it, everything. I’ve only got my mum, my auntie and two friends now who I trust implicitly.’
Ryan later called for an end to the backlash towards Roxanne.
What did Roxanne Pallett say in her Big Brother interview with Emma Willis?
In September 2018, Emma Willis quizzed Roxanne about the punch in a pre-recorded interview aired on Celebrity Big Brother. ‘It felt like it was blown out of all proportion in your mind, but even two days later when you re-enacted it on Ben [Jardine], it was totally different. So how could you get something so wrong in your head?’ she asked. Roxanne replied, ‘Watching it feels like a completely different scenario to what it felt at the time.’ That week, she had also addressed her ‘overaction’ to the punch to Jeremy Vine.
Emma continued to press Roxanne on her conflicting views about the punch, asking ‘But surely watching something doesn't change the way it felt? So why suddenly would you have a different perspective on it? Can you imagine if those cameras hadn't been there? You would have ruined somebody,’ adding ‘Lots of people are not buying your apology.’
Pallett started crying after being asked if she could forgive herself for how she dealt with the situation, and the interview ended soon after.
Was Roxanne Pallett in a car crash?
In September 2018, it was reported that Roxanne was in a car accident, which saw her airlifted to Hull Royal Infirmary. She blacked out for 30 seconds and was left with severe bruising and two sprained wrists after crashing into a wall while racing a stock car at Hunmanby raceway near Scarborough in Yorkshire.
She told Good Morning Britain she felt ‘lucky to be alive’, continuing ‘It was like time stood still. I remember waking up and just hearing my own breath. I was so out of breath. I could feel my heart racing, I could hear voices. I must have had my eyes closed, they said I'd lost consciousness for about 30 seconds.'
Where is Roxanne Pallett now?
Five years on from the incident on CBB, Roxanne has remained out of the spotlight. She relocated to the US, and in November 2019 got engaged to firefighter and former Married at First Sight star Jason Carrion. She previously told Closer that the couple met on the streets of New York.
'I got out of a cab and there he was!,’ she said. ‘An hour later we were having coffee, which turned into brunch, which led to a three-hour walk around Brooklyn. We shared stories we’d never told others – it was magic.’ She added ‘I’ve met the love of my life and I feel mentally stronger. I truly believe all the negativity I went through pushed me to this point. In a way, I’m grateful for all that went wrong, even though it was brutal. It was worth all the heartache because now I’m living my best life.’
In June 2021, the couple announced they were expecting their first baby together.