Big Brother Contestant Leaves Show After Disability Row

Charlotte Notts, a contestant on Big Brother, has departed the show, stating she had "had enough." Notts, 18, an Oxford student, made history as the program's first contestant with quadriplegic amputee status. She had previously disclosed losing her hands and feet to meningitis at the age of three.

Her time in the house was marked by a controversy involving housemate Rochelle Rackham, who told Notts she was "scared of people with no limbs." Following this exchange, Notts expressed her feelings to Big Brother in the Diary Room, saying, "I can't take this anymore it's so bad, everyone is starting to annoy me. I've been pushed to my ultimate limit and that's it now, I've had enough. I just need to go home now, I need to get out today." She then announced her decision to leave to her fellow housemates.

ITV confirmed Notts's departure, stating, "Charlotte has made the decision to leave the Big Brother House. We thank her for being a fantastic Housemate Tune in tonight to watch her departure."

The incident involving Rackham occurred early in the series. Rackham confided in Notts, saying, "Can I tell you something? I feel really ashamed. I have got a bit of a fear... Just like, no arm. When I saw you, I was like, 'Oh my god', and I feel so ashamed because now I don’t even look at it [now]."

Social media users reacted strongly to Rackham's comments, with many deeming them "disgusting and outrageous." One viewer wrote on X, "That was disgusting what Rochelle said about Charlotte, just because she has a disability doesn’t mean she is different from anyone else!! She is really mean."

Notts discussed the exchange with fellow housemate Lynx Noumey. "She was like ‘I’ve always had a fear of people with no limbs’. And she was like ‘when I saw you like, I was very, I was scared’," Notts relayed. Noumey responded with disbelief, "What the fk is that?" before Notts added, "She was like ‘when I came in I was quite scared’." Noumey then commented, "Oh Rochelle."

Housemate Chelsey suggested that Rackham "needs to learn to shut her mouth, a bit." Another housemate, Rhianna, attempted to address the situation directly, stating, "Yeah. Now I think it’s just a bit much. I think it’s best if I say something" and confronted Rackham.

Some viewers defended Rackham, arguing that her comments were "clumsily worded" and that she was attempting to express shame about her own fear, which Notts's presence had helped her overcome. "I don’t think Rochelle meant she’s actually scared of ppl with no limbs, I think she just worded it wrong," one user commented.

Content creator Scott Mousley shared a video discussing the exchange, calling Rackham's comments "outrageous." His followers expressed sadness for Notts, with one commenting, "That is a human being that just had to absorb those comments... Maybe it’s a good thing that collectively we can think about how not to do things and how not to treat people, but even with that there’s still an actual person at the centre of it who gets hurt."