Celebrity Big Brother made its return on Monday, with 13 new famous faces joining the iconic house.
The last to be introduced was actor and former boxer, Mickey Rourke, who sparked outrage in seconds as he appeared bewildered during his introduction and soon made some “uncomfortable” gestures towards host AJ Odudu.
Dressed in a cowboy outfit and a red leather jacket, the 72-year-old lingered on stage next to Odudu and co-host Will Best.
Odudu had to instruct him to “stop looking at me” as he glared at her and complimented the 37-year-old presenter.
Seeming confused, he told the presenters: “I had nothing to do with tonight,” when asked about joining the show.
The two hosts soon had to push him along the stage to make his entrance in the house, leaving fans cringing further.
Many expressed concern for the actor as well as Odudu, with one writing on X: “AJ dealt with Mickey situation really well! #cbb #cbbuk.”
“Omg is it me or [does] Mickey Rouke have absolutely no idea where he is and what he’s doing or what he has let himself in for #CBBUK #CBB,” a second asked.
Mickey Rourke had to be escorted off the stage
ITV
A third noted: “AJ handled that really well. Well done to her. She didn’t make herself look uncomfortable.”
“I think we can all agree that was uncomfortable to watch and imagine how she felt. Hats off to her!!!!!! #CBB #CelebrityBigBrother #CBBUK,” another added.
“Rourke is going to be an uncomfortable watch #CBB,” another predicted.
One baffled fan asked: “How has he passed the psych test? He looked SO confused and the way he was leering at AJ made me VERY uncomfortable. #CBBUK #CBB.”
“NOOOO SO UNCOMFORTABLE WHY IS HE DOING THAT EWWWWW WTF#CBBUK #CBB,” one more added.
another simply shared: “Mickey is stressing me OUT #CBB #CBBUK.” (sic)
As well as Rourke, the 2025 line-up, officially confirmed in the episode, consists of Chesney Hawkes, JoJo Siwa, Trisha Goddard, Chris Hughes, Patsy Palmer, Michael Fabricant, Jack P Shepherd, Ella Wise, Daley Thompson, Donna Preston, Angellica Bell and Danny Beard.
The new batch of VIPs will embark on the original celebrity experiment, taking up residence in the Big Brother house, which has moved to a brand-new location for the new installment.
Mickey Rourke sparked outrage just seconds after being introduced
ITV
et to be another unmissable series, viewers can expect tense tasks, nail-biting nominations and gripping gossip as an array of famous faces spill the tea on their life in the spotlight.
Celebrity Big Brother continues tomorrow at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
