Celebrity Big Brother fans are calling for Micky Rourke's early exit after his "inappropriate" behaviour towards host AJ Odudu.
ITV officially kicked off another series last night, with Odudu and Will Best returning to present the launch show and unveiling the celebrities making up the 2025 line-up.
Oscar-nominated actor was Rourke was the last celeb to be announced, and his entrance has left viewers feeling outraged.
After shaking Best’s hand, Rourke twirled Odudu around before pulling her close to to him, to which Best said: "Careful, Mickey."
The actor then began to stare Odudu up and down, forcing her to say: "Stop looking at me!"
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Fans were quick to share their concern on social media, with one writing: "Hope AJ is okay after that."
"AJ shouldn’t have to deal with that. No woman should have to laugh it off when a man acts inappropriately. Disgusting. Do the right thing and give him a swift exit," said another.
"The way he was with AJ was actually vile, felt so uncomfortable," wrote a third, while a fourth added: "His behaviour towards AJ shouldn’t continue to be able to be on national tv. It doesn’t protect women and doesn’t teach respect. Come on @itv. Remove him."
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Rourke joins housemates including Dance Moms star Jojo Siwa, Coronation Street's Jack P Shepherd, Love Island's Chris Hughes, EastEnders' Patsy Palmer and Drag Race's Danny Beard.
Last year saw David Potts crowned the winner of Celebrity Big Brother 2024, with Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kuzmin and Coronation Street’s Colson Smith finishing in second and third place respectively.
Celebrity Big Brother airs on ITV2 and ITVX.
Read more Big Brother news on our dedicated homepage
Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
