Big Brother to Keep Contestant Rochelle Rackham Despite Racist Social Media Posts

Big Brother contestant Rochelle Rackham will remain on the show despite previously sharing racist social media posts, insiders have revealed. Producers were reportedly aware of the offensive content before Rackham entered the house, and she has since undergone training.

Sources close to the production team stated that Rackham had shared a meme to her social media account that she subsequently removed. The nature of this meme was not specified, but it is understood to have been offensive. Following its removal, Rackham participated in respect and inclusion training, a standard procedure for all new Big Brother housemates.

One post from over ten years ago resurfaced, which depicted a person bungee jumping with the caption: ‘Experience bungee jumping only £35 a jump. Muslims go free. No strings attached.’ Rackham also reportedly told an 18-year-old contestant, who is a quadruple amputee, that she had ‘a bit of a fear’ of people with ‘no arms’.

Despite these revelations, Rackham is expected to remain on the program. This decision contrasts with previous instances where contestants were removed from the show for offensive social media activity. For example, housemates Ellis Hillon and Trish Balusa were exited after their racist posts surfaced. Tamsin Dodgson, the creative director of Big Brother, oversaw these previous departures.

Balusa was evicted via the public vote in 2023, but ITV did not permit her to participate in the final or a spin-off show. The decision to allow Rackham to continue on the show, despite producers' prior knowledge of her posts, suggests a different approach by the network in this instance.