Soul singer Alexander O'Neal has walked away from Celebrity Big Brother UK after receiving a formal warning by producers on Saturday for directing an anti-gay slur at gossip blogger and fellow housemate Perez Hilton during an ongoing feud.
The Daily Record reports:
Tension had been brewing between the pair since early in the morning, when Hilton woke O'Neal with his persistent coughing.
"What the f*** are you coming up here coughing all around me for?" O'Neal yelled.
Later he confided in housemates: "That's what he wants. He's blowing kisses at me … He wants me to kick his ass."
As the other celebrities in the Big Brother house urged Hilton to keep his distance, he instead followed O'Neal into the lounge room and stared at him silently.
"I know what you want, but you're not going to get it. I know exactly what you want. And in America, you know what you'd get, don't you? You want that now, but you're not going to get it. You're taunting me. You're coming over here, you're following me, you're bothering me," O'Neal said.
"You're not going to say one word. You're just going to sit there with that silly-ass f***** look on your face."
Housemates reacted immediately, with one responding: "No no no no no no no!"
"He called me the F-word, which is incredibly offensive," Hilton said, recoiling.
The Daily Mail adds Hilton went into the Diary Room shortly afterwards to tell Big Brother he wanted to go home because he feared for his safety and was hungry.
'Hello Big Brother,' he announced. 'So before I go to bed, I want to reiterate that I would really like to go home. I feel very strongly and calmly about this.
'I don't want to be in the house anymore for my own safety. Before I came into the house, I said that the two most important things to me were safety and food. I do not want to fear for my safety and I do not want to go hungry – but now I am.
O'Neal reportedly attempted to make amends with Hilton before his exit but was ignored. Later in the episode, Big Brother announced O'Neal's departure to the rest of the house by revealing a farewell message from O'Neal that read: "To all my housemates, I have had a great experience with you guys and I have mad love for almost all of you."
Watch it go down, AFTER THE JUMP…
Last year, former heavyweight champion boxer Evander Holyfield was reprimanded by Celebrity Big Brother producers for saying being gay is akin to being "handicapped" and "is a choice." Holyfield later apologized.
