Big Brother winner addresses Omar controversy as Ofcom complaints pile up: "He is gaslighting"

Note: This article contains discussions around themes of control and abuse.

Big Brother winner Ali Bromley, a psychologist, has given her informed perspective on the current controversy surrounding housemate Omar El Mayer and his behaviour towards Rhianna Collins - saying she is seeing "clear evidence of emotional abuse".

After Rhianna called an end to the pair's in-house romance earlier this week, Omar's conduct in subsequent scenes has led to over 7,000 Ofcom complaints (via Radio Times) and a response from the charity Women's Aid, who said the show "risks presenting abuse as a form of entertainment".

Viewers watched earlier this week as Rhianna held her head in her hands and Omar told her: "Look at me - don't look away from me". He also told her not to cry, and that her "feelings aren't facts".

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Amid the controversy, ITV released a statement yesterday (20 October), saying: "All Housemates receive Respect and Inclusion training and an extensive briefing from the Big Brother Senior team to prepare them for living in the House and to set out Big Brother’s expectations for appropriate behaviour and language.

"Housemates are monitored 24 hours a day and any instances of inappropriate behaviour are responded to appropriately.

"Welfare and safeguarding are prioritised throughout the production, with a dedicated welfare team available to support Housemates before, during and after their time in the House."

Now, Ali - who won the show in 2024 - has given her view of the situation from a psychological perspective, as well as her opinion on what show bosses should do amid calls for Omar to be removed.

Taking to her Instagram story, she said: "It's really difficult to tell from an edited TV show if what we're seeing meets criteria, legal criteria at least, for coercive control. But what we are seeing, there is clear evidence of emotional abuse. What you think Big Brother should do about that is open to debate."

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She continued: "First of all, thinking about them specifically, it seems really clear to me that Omar has felt inferior to Rhianna, and his way of managing that is to elevate himself into a position of power above her.

"So we saw him at the beginning holding her on the pedestal, questioning 'what do I have in my life' comparative to her. Since then, they seem to have reached this period where he is devaluing her. He is withdrawing affection, he is gaslighting her, he is portraying himself as the victim. It's been really difficult and really painful viewing."

Ali went on to describe the way Omar whispered to Rhianna in this week's scenes as "very sinister", adding: "He's devalued her, he's mocked her and ridiculed her in front of the group, he's made out she's very immature, called her childish or whatever else.

"There has never been a moment where he's taken accountability in his conversations with her, and you see her having to sit with the frustrating of that and then question, 'wow, is that really all me?'"

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She added that Omar "took some accountability when he spoke to Twinks", and praised Twinks for "doing her best in that moment to hold him to account... which is more than can be said for the other Housemates".

Amid calls for Omar to be removed from the show, Ali reasoned: "My approach as a psychologist would be I would pull Rhianna into a room for a psych session, off-camera, off-mic, and say to her, 'this is what we've noticed, and it meets the criteria for emotional abuse according to these standards', and I would explain to her why that is the case. I would then ask her, 'what would you like to do about this now'?

"And the reason that I say that is because I think it's important that she would have some autonomy over that decision, rather than her power being taken away even further by, for example, Omar being removed from the house.

"But I would also not frame it as a therapy session, I would frame it as a psycho-ed session which can be much more directive and telling, information-giving, rather than open questions and leaving it a bit fluffy. I would want her to know, 'this is what's being perceived. Do you need help, do you need time to think about this?'"

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She added that, following her own experience in the ITV compound, she found it to be "such a gaslighting environment that you sometimes can't name what's happening to you".

Big Brother called Rhianna to the Diary Room during Monday's episode when she was in the midst of a heated conversation with Omar, and asked if she was okay. She said: "Sometimes I just don't like the way he speaks to me."

Neither of them face eviction this week, with Catrin, Sam, Harry and Twinks up for the public vote.

If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, organisations including Refuge and Women's Aid can provide further support and information. The 24-hour, freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247.

The US National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or text LOVEIS to 22522.

Big Brother airs on ITV2 and ITVX.

Shaun is an Evening News Editor at Digital Spy, with over a decade of experience reporting on all things pop culture. He has written for outlets including Metro, Attitude, Huffington Post, The Mirror, Yahoo!, Pink News and Express Online, specialising in TV, movies, soaps, music and LGBTQ+ issues. He is also a BAFTA Rocliffe-winning scriptwriter, having written episodes of the soap Hollyoaks, the official Steps musical Here & Now and multiple Offie Award-nominated plays. He studied English Literature and Drama at the University of East Anglia, and will happily talk at length about Desperate Housewives to anyone who'll listen.