ROXANNE Pallett sensationally admitted “I got it wrong” this morning in her first interview since quitting Celebrity Big Brother.
The ex-Emmerdale actress faced a huge backlash from viewers after she accused housemate Ryan Thomas of physically assaulting her during a playful exchange in front of the cameras.
Roxanne, 35, said she felt scared to be around the former Corrie star and demanded he was booted out the house after “repeatedly punching her”.
But her housemates rallied around 34-year-old Ryan when they failed to believe her side of the story.
SICK AS A PALLETT Roxanne Pallett was sick as soon as she walked off set after CBB ‘punch’ interview with Jeremy Vine
Appearing on Jeremy Vine’s new Channel 5 show this morning, Roxanne apologised for her “overreaction”.
She told the host: “At the time it hurt, but when I look back on the footage, I got it wrong.”
Roxanne, who was slammed by viewers after the interview, added: “My mind ran away with me. I am a sensitive person. My friends and family can vouch for that.
“In the house everything becomes so heightened, a look, a comment, an action. Your insecurities are heightened.
The punch row so far
- Roxanne Pallett claims Ryan Thomas punched her and demands he is booted out
- Roxanne’s fiance Lee Walton reveals Ryan threatened her at an awards show and the pair didn’t speak for TEN years afterwards.
- Ofcom flooded with more than 11,000 complaints as fans vent their anger on social media and Ryan’s former co-stars and friends offer him support
- Roxanne continues to tell housemates that Ryan is lying but fans notice she is holding the wrong side of her body after row
- EastEnders actor Sam Attwater calls Roxanne “dangerous” and a school mate brands her a bully
- Roxanne quits the show in the early hours of Saturday morning and will not be getting her fee
- Rylan Clark begs producers to show housemates what really happens as Big Brother warns Dan Osborne not to believe Roxanne
- Ryan Thomas breaks down in tears over Roxanne’s accusations and is overcome with emotion when he realises fans are on his side
- Ryan’s girlfriend Lucy Mecklenburgh breaks down in tears over upsetting scenes and fans continue to complain to Ofcom
“All I can say is in the moment it felt worse than it was.
“I can’t prove a feeling. It was the word ‘deliberately’ I regret.
“I massively apologise to Ryan, his family, friends, his fans – every single person who saw an overreaction to what wasn’t a malicious act.
“I am heartbroken in contributing to Ryan’s distress. I hope he can forgive me.”
Roxanne left through the back door after hearing crowds chanting “get Roxy out” during Friday’s eviction show.
Viewers were left outraged by her apparent attempts to smear Ryan, which he claimed could have “ruined him”.
Speaking this morning, Roxanne added: “In that moment – because I am sensitive and emotional – I mistook what was a playful act.
“He did apologise for it and say his ring caught me.
“It was the word deliberate I regret. I doubted his intention. There was no malicious intention behind that. That’s what I apologise for.
“I agree fully with every single person who was outraged.
“I shouldn’t have questioned his motivation. I got it wrong.”
Jeremy pushed Roxanne on the point that if the incident hadn’t been caught on camera, it would have been the end of Ryan’s career.
Defending herself, Roxanne said: “He couldn’t disprove his intention and I couldn’t prove the feeling.
“Since I’ve been out the house the first thing I did was look at the clip, speak to my family and reflect in a normal environment because it wasn’t a normal environment in there.
“My judgement was clouded, my sensitivity heightened and I wasn’t thinking straight.
“I need to become a better person.
“I absolutely overreacted. I massively regret it.”
During her chat with Jeremy, Roxanne admitted she has been a victim of domestic abuse in the past.
She said: “I have worked with Women’s Aid because of my past experience and perhaps they were right in their recent comment.
“My reaction was perhaps a tell-tale sign of the fact I have been in a situation like that.
“In my life I have become conditioned and over-sensitive to things.
“But I am devastated, and mortified to think that even one person out there thought I had discredited or undermined abuse.
“That was not mine intention.”
She added: “I have known people who have been falsely accused of things. I’ve been someone who has been quiet when they should have spoken up.
“I bottled a lot of things up and I’ve almost gone the opposite way now when I’ve flinched at someone invading my personal space.
“I can’t apologise to Ryan enough.”
Roxanne’s family deleted her Twitter account while she was in the house because of the backlash from fans.
She told Jeremy: “I’ve had to take a massive step back from everything in my life.
“I can’t look at it but I don’t blame everyone.
“If I’d have been at home watching this I would have been confused by my reaction.
“I’ve also had to realise I’m quite an animated person and dramatic.
“I’m all of the things people are calling me. Those are my character traits that I need to look at and investigate and better myself.
“This is a serious subject and it’s become something I really need to focus on – not just to rebuild my career, but my rebuild my personal life.
“This is something that has now overshadowed everything. I am taking this very seriously and now want to reassure everyone I am aware I overreacted. I apologise massively to every single person I offended and disappointed.”
Responding to claims she is only trying to save her career, Roxanne said she had been advised not to appear on the show.
She also added that she was not getting paid by Jeremy Vine’s show bosses and added: “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
“It’s affected my family, my friends, the people who have detached themselves from me. This is my reality now.
“I’m here today to acknowledge a mistake.”
The 35-year-old has now vowed to become a better person after learning from her mistakes.
She added: “I didn’t realise how sensitive I was.
“I’m used to people around me knowing how sensitive I am, but because I was taken out of my family environement and put in a situation with people who didn’t know what I’d been through.
“They didn’t know my richter scale so they weren’t prepared.
“All the people judging me, and rightly so, accused me of being dramatic and overreacting and almost discrediting Ryan. I agree 100 per cent. It was a horrible mistake.”
Ryan was given a formal warning by Big Brother after Roxanne told producers he punched her “like a boxer would punch a bag”.
Her accusations that Ryan was a “woman beater” prompted 11,215 complaints to Ofcom.
She was given the option to call the police, but decided not to.
It has also led to 20 of Roxanne’s former Emmerdale co-stars to slam her behaviour.
These included Kelvin Fletcher (Andy Sugden) who described the actress as “evil, calculated and manipulative beyond belief”.
Responding to their harsh words, Roxanne said: “I think we all make friends and enemies along the way in life and in jobs.
“Unfortunately when you make a mistake, there are a lot of people who want to contribute to the backlash.”
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Despite forming a close relationship with fellow housemate Ben Jardine in the house, Roxanne has now returned home to her fiance Lee Walton.
Tonight Roxanne will be grilled by CBB host Emma Willis after agreeing to do an exit interview.
Last night Big Brother confirmed that two contestants had been nominated for a surprise eviction.
Hardeep Singh Koli and Jermaine Pennant were both called into the diary room to be told that they could be sent packing tonight as they go head to head in the public vote.
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