Big Brother contestant Rochelle has vowed to keep her friends close and her enemies closer after a visit from her husband, Russell, left her reconsidering her relationships inside the house.
Russell used their reunion to warn Rochelle about some of her fellow contestants, telling her: “Right, listen to what I’m saying. There’s people in there that you need to keep away from…”
The scenes are due to air in Friday night’s episode of the ITV reality show.
Housemates Risk Valuable Time for Family Reunions
The contestants have spent the week living in the House of Time, completing challenges to earn precious minutes with their friends and relatives.
However, the reunions came with strict conditions.
Housemates were frozen in time and prohibited from speaking to their visitors.
Any contestant who broke the rule would bring the meeting to an immediate end, with time also deducted from their fellow housemates.
Following her meeting with Russell, Rochelle appeared to reconsider her relationship with Twinks and suggested that the tension inside the house had influenced their interactions.
“I think out of here we’d be fine. It’s just very intense in here,” she told Twinks, adding that her husband’s visit had put her head straight.
Rochelle Plans to Change Her Behaviour
Speaking in the Diary Room, Rochelle admitted that she was uncertain about what the remaining weeks of the competition would bring but wanted to enjoy her time in the house.
“I don’t know what’s in store for us next week, if it’s a horrible week, but I want to try now, for the last couple of weeks, to enjoy it,” she said.
She continued: “And how have I even got here, just don’t know… And he’s told me what he wanted to tell me. To be nicer to people. It’s in my head now, so I’m gonna try hard.”
Rochelle acknowledged that changing her behaviour might not be easy, describing herself as naturally difficult in her interactions with others.
“I can’t help it, I am naturally a b****, aren’t I, so it isn’t easy. But, I’m determined to keep my friends close and my enemies closer, as the saying goes,” she said.
She added that she was aware of what was happening around her, concluding: “And that’s all I wanna say. But I’m not an idiot, anyway… believe it or not.”
Philip Receives Advice From His Friend
Rochelle’s reunion was not the only visit that prompted reflection among the contestants.
Before meeting his friend Paul, Philip had expressed concern that his critical comments about Rochelle could be exposed.
The Queen of Scotty Road was also expected to discover that he had nominated her.
During their reunion, Paul advised Philip to adjust the way he communicated with others.
“Tone down your voice a little bit. You can come across a bit, erm, abrupt,” he told him.
It remains unclear what other information the contestants’ visitors shared during the meetings.
Frankie, Yasmin and Sam Receive Messages From Loved Ones
Frankie, who came out as bisexual during his time on the show, was visited by his mother, Louise.
She told him: “A lot of weight’s lifted off your shoulders…”
Yasmin’s friend Lauren also offered her encouragement, telling her to “keep standing on business with these people”.
Meanwhile, Sam’s father, Andrew, delivered a message calling for change within the house.
“Viva the revolution, I want you to take that hierarchy down,” he declared.
Four Contestants Face Eviction
Friday night’s episode will also feature an eviction, with Twinks, Samuel, Catrin and Harry all facing the possibility of leaving the competition.
The four contestants have been nominated, and one of them will be evicted during the episode.
Omar’s Behaviour Towards Rihanna Draws Complaints
This year’s series has also attracted controversy over Omar’s treatment of his girlfriend, Rihanna.
The pair had known each other for six weeks after meeting in the house and quickly declared that they were in love.
However, Omar has faced accusations of displaying coercive and controlling behaviour towards her.
Calls have mounted for ITV to intervene and remove him from the programme, while domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid has publicly expressed concern about his conduct.
Big Brother received 7,138 Ofcom complaints in a single day concerning Omar’s treatment of Rihanna.
The complaints placed the incident among the ten most complained-about reality television moments and made it the third-highest number of complaints relating to a single incident in the programme’s history.
The previous incidents that attracted higher complaint figures included Jade Goody’s racism controversy and Roxanne Pallett’s so-called punch-gate incident.
Women’s Aid Calls for Greater Protection of Contestants
Veronica Oakeshott, Head of External Affairs at Women’s Aid, described the behaviour attributed to Omar as worrying and highlighted the potential risks of presenting coercive conduct as entertainment.
“The nature of abuse means that it often begins with ‘red flag’ coercive and controlling behaviours like isolating you from friends or repeatedly putting you down, before escalating into other forms of abuse,” she said.
Oakeshott added that coercive control could create fear and affect every aspect of a survivor’s life.
“It’s worrying to see behaviours like this being given a platform in popular media like Big Brother.
We’ve been contacted by many viewers who have expressed concern,” she said.
She warned that the programme risked minimising survivors’ experiences and presenting abuse as a form of entertainment.
Oakeshott also called for abuse to be challenged as soon as it appeared, saying this would help women and children recognise warning signs and feel more confident about speaking out and seeking safety.
She stressed that programme producers had a responsibility to protect contestants’ emotional and physical wellbeing, adding that the women featured in reality television were real people who required appropriate support.
Women’s Aid urged broadcasters, including ITV, to work with specialists to improve their understanding of abuse and strengthen protections for contestants.
The charity also said it would welcome discussions with the Big Brother production team.
Big Brother Responds to Concerns Over Housemate Welfare
A spokesperson for Big Brother said contestants received training and briefings before entering the house to establish expectations for their conduct.
“All Housemates receive Respect and Inclusion training and an extensive briefing from the Big Brother Senior team to prepare them for living in the House and to set out Big Brother’s expectations for appropriate behaviour and language,” the spokesperson said.
The representative added that housemates were monitored around the clock and that incidents of inappropriate behaviour were addressed accordingly.
Welfare and safeguarding, the spokesperson said, remained priorities throughout production, with a dedicated team available to support contestants before, during and after their participation in the programme.
Big Brother continues on Friday at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.
