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Chris Hughes has broken his silence on the fight with Mickey Rourke that led to the actor’s removal from the programme.
The Love Island star, 32, was at the centre of some of the show’s biggest headlines during his stint on the reality series this month. He reassured Dance Moms star Jojo Siwa after she was left in tears following homophobic comments made by Rourke and was called a “c***” by the actor after he was accused of “eyeballing” him during a challenge. Speculation also swirled that there were romantic undertones to his relationship with Siwa.
Rourke was axed from the programme after “threatening and aggressive behaviour” toward Hughes and for using “inappropriate sexual language” with Ella Rae Wise. The Wrestler actor said he had not been around people for “years” and that his childhood had had an impact on the development of his personality. He is now reportedly “suing” ITV following the saga.
In his first interview following his exit from the show, Hughes spoke about his fight with Rourke.
“I felt for him for a degree because there’s someone in there that’s confused,” he said on This Morning on Monday (28 April).
“He’s been alone for seven years so his understanding may be different. It’s hard not to feel sorry for someone who’s so detached. But on occasion he would listen to me and that made me feel less intimidated and he did take it on, listening and wanting to learn. If people get things wrong and learn, that’s a good thing.”
Praised for his support of Siwa during her challenges with Rourke, he said: “It’s weird because I thought it was very normal. I’m surprised not many other people did. One of my best friends is gay.
“I understand it. I’ve done drag. I enjoy that community. I just feel like when people are making derogatory terms it made me feel uncomfortable being in that situation. You should pull people up on that when there’s right and wrong.”
Rourke expressed regret and took full responsibility for his behaviour and “short fuse” when confronted by Big Brother, saying: “I blame myself, I know it was my bad. You know, I’ve got a short fuse and I know I upset a lot of people out there, you know. And I’m sorry for that. I’m actually ashamed of myself for getting that hot.
“I went over the line, you know, I did wrong. I guess, like they say, I’m a work in progress. I just wanna pack my bags and leave, you know. I wanted to leave yesterday actually but I wasn’t chosen.”
English (US) ·