‘Celebrity Big Brother’ bosses knew they were in for controversy when they signed up politician Winston McKenzie, and during Tuesday night’s live launch, he’d upset viewers before he’d even set foot on the stage.
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Winston, who was formerly a member of UKIP before joining the English Democrats, was met with a severe backlash online, over comments he made about gay people during his pre-recorded opening VT.
When quizzed about how he would react if he had to share the ‘CBB’ house with a gay man, he remarked: “How would I deal with a homosexual in the house? I guess I’d just be standing with my back against a brick wall.”
Winston McKenzie on his way into the 'CBB' house
His comments meant he was quickly pulled apart by ‘CBB’ viewers on Twitter before he’d even set foot in the house, with fans of the show criticising his “homophobic” opinion.
Viewers also took the opportunity to criticise Channel 5 for including him in the series at all when he had voiced such views, pointing out that he’d be reprimanded for such a comment had he made it inside the house.
As it goes, Winston is sharing his living space with not one but two gay men, former ‘EastEnders’ actor John Partridge and ‘X Factor’ finalist Christopher Maloney.
After making it into the house, Winston was dealt a blow fairly early on, when his suitcase was sacrificed as part of this series’ launch night twist.
In recent times, several housemates have been thrown out of the house for inappropriate comments, with Ken Morley becoming the second housemate to leave via the back door back in January, after he was heard using a racist term while recounting a story.
Alexander O’Neal revealed in the months after his ‘CBB’ departure that he’d been asked to leave when he used a homophobic slur during a furious row with Perez Hilton, while Tila Tequila faced the boot less than a day after her entrance last summer, over an anti-Semitic blog post she had posted years earlier.
‘Celebrity Big Brother’ continues on Wednesday night, at 9pm on Channel 5.