Mickey Rourke is still haunting the Celebrity Big Brother house

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It’s been almost two weeks since Mickey Rourke was thrown out of Celebrity Big Brother but still tears are being shed in his wake.

Last night, it became clear the house is still shaken by the destruction of Rourke.

Tensions have never been higher as the remaining housemates shared their nominations face-to-face before three of them are given the boot tonight.

After days of Celebrity Big Brother being some of the best television this year, Towie star Ella Rae Wise tearfully nominated Chesney Hawkes, blaming the loveable one-hit wonder for not standing up to Rourke’s sleazy remarks.

After a string of offenses that should have seen Rourke removed from the house – grabbing host AJ Odudu, making homophobic remarks to Jojo Siwa and then squaring up to Chris Hughes – his quip to Ella was the final straw.

When Ella asked Mickey to ‘come with [her], he replied: ‘Come in you?’

The 21-year-old was later sobbing to her housemates, clearly and understandably extremely shaken.

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Towie star Ella Rae Wise tearfully nominated Chesney Hawkes (Picture: ITV)

During the nominations last night, she told Chesney: ‘When a certain someone was here and didn’t make me feel comfortable, I feel like, when certain jokes were made, you were in the same area and, as a man, you should’ve said, “That’s not OK.”

‘And then after, you’d say to me that you’re sorry, that you didn’t feel as if you stood up for me as you should, but then still continued to faff about with the skeleton and talk about Mickey every day.’

Visibly upset Chesney said: ‘I’m sorry you feel that way, Ella. I’m sorry I did that.’

For the rest of the day, Chesney was still hurting. He explained that he has a daughter Ella’s age and it ‘killed him’ to think she didn’t feel he did his duty as a man to stand up to the Hollywood star.

It’s a murky row with no real winners or losers but, still, viewers have taken sides and by in large slated Ella for the ’low blow’.

Ella will likely go home tonight (Picture: ITV)

Ella was nominated five times last night, more than any other housemate. She is just as unpopular outside the house and, honestly, for her own benefit, it is much better she leaves now than having the public turn on her even more.

Perhaps the timing of her blow to Chesney wasn’t ideal. Calling out his masculinity in front of the others in such a particularly tense moment felt humiliating and cruel – but it doesn’t mean her point wasn’t valid.

There were other men in the house who also didn’t confront Mickey when they could have – Jack P. Shepherd, Danny Beard, and Daley Thompson – the latter she felt particularly close to. Why they haven’t had the same blame is unclear, at least to me.

It suggests Chesney isn’t a positive role model because he didn’t call out misogynistic behaviour when he sees it and, yes, I’m sure he regrets not doing exactly that in hindsight, particularly now knowing how deeply affected Ella felt by it.

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But Chesney is such a brilliant example of masculinity, just not the kind of man Ella felt she needed in that moment. He’s still successfully riding off the back of one hit song after 34 years because he’s so notoriously lovely in an industry filled with egos like Mickey’s.

He’s proven to live by his reputation, too. He’s been so gentle and kind throughout, adored by everyone in the house – only receiving one nomination last night, from Ella. 

I’d like to think I’d be brave enough to stand up to Mickey like I know I would to men when they’re inappropriate to a women in the real world, but in the surreal landscape of the Celebrity Big Brother house, how can I or anyone else watching at home be so sure?

Right now, Celebrity Big Brother fans will pick holes in everything Ella says, and granted, there are holes to be picked.

Still, it was a painful watch seeing such a young woman still clearly affected by the actions of Mickey – a deeply horrendous experience for any woman – and she endured it on national television by a man more than 50 years older than her and with a lot more power.

Calling out his masculinity in front of the others in such a particularly tense moment felt humiliating and cruel (Picture: ITV)

This Celebrity Big Brother has been exceptional.

When last year’s series felt stale, relying on Louis Walsh and Sharon Osbourne’s booking to create headlines over capturing the magic of Big Brother, since Mickey’s long overdue departure this season has felt so in line with the show’s heyday of the early noughties.

This has by far been one of – if not the – best Celebrity Big Brother casts of all-time.

When CBB is at its best it is without a shadow of a doubt the funniest show on television and there have been moments that made me howl with laughter, largely thanks to Donna Preston and Danny Beard, the two most deserving winners (in my eyes).

That unbeatable sense of humour, combined with the many powerful conversations about race, gender and their respective careers in showbusiness, this series has really played to its greatest strengths.

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Sadly though, despite an impressive recovery since his departure, Ella and Chesney’s difficult confrontation is a painful reminder of how this series began and how it will likely be remembered – one of the best CBB’s of all time tarnished by Mickey’s homophobia, misogyny and the trauma left in its aftermath.

Ella will likely leave tonight, the first time she’s seen her friends or family since the incident with Mickey, and will no doubt receive the best aftercare possible through ITV.

Chesney will need to wait until Friday’s finale to feel the pride of his family and until then will no doubt be pondering if how the public will respond to Ella’s nomination.

It’s not the ending this series of Celebrity Big Brother deserves but now it seems inevitable it’s the one it was going to get when so much harm was caused from the get-go.

Celebrity Big Brother continues tonight at 9pm on ITV.   

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