‘Celebrity Big Brother’ bosses are facing calls to reprimand Ann Widdecombe over a “homophobic” remark she made to Shane Jenek and Andrew Brady.
The former Tory MP caused outrage when she branded the prospect of a romance between them “disgusting”.
The two men, who have forged a bromance in the house, were seen joking about the nature of their relationship on Monday (23 January) night’s show.
Making reference to Ann voting against gay marriage during her time as an MP, Shane joked as he hugged Andrew: “You might not respect our marriage Ann, but you have to recognise our love!”
“Don’t be disgusting,” she snapped back.
“Disgusting?” Shane questioned, before conversation in the room changed to another topic, with Ann escaping having to explain herself.
While Shane - better known as drag artist Courtney Act - was not seen following up with Ann on the matter, viewers believed she should face consequences from Big Brother:
A ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ spokesperson would not confirm if Ann had been reprimanded over the situation, but did tell HuffPost UK: “Big Brother constantly monitors the behaviour and conduct of housemates and intervenes where appropriate. Not all interventions are included in broadcasts.”
Ann - who voted against all pieces of pro-LGBT+ legislation during her time in parliament and has also voiced support for so-called gay cure therapy - previously clashed with Shane on the topic of same sex-marriage.
“You call it marriage equality, I call it the re-definition of marriage,” she said.
“A marriage is a civil institution that is defined by parliament – if people want to change that I’ve got to be persuaded that its a good idea and I’m not.”
She added: “It’s not just a word, it’s an institution set up for the stability of society which has been with us for centuries. Marriage is a man and a woman.”
Ann’s latest comments come just days after viewers accused John Barnes of airing “homophobic” views while speaking about Shane and Andrew’s relationship.
Meanwhile, Shane, who identifies as pansexual, and Andrew, who identifies as straight, have insisted they are just friends.
The pair have set tongues wagging in the house in recent days with their flirtatious behaviour, but during a conversation on Monday’s show, they both seemed clear on where they stood with one another.
“The perception in here of what we are may be different to what we think it is,” Andrew said. “But for me it’s a friendship, and I admire that, it doesn’t matter if my best mate is a boy and we cwtch.”
‘Celebrity Big Brother’ continues on Tuesday at 9pm on Channel 5.