Big Brother airs Omar warning amid Ofcom complaints and backlash

Big Brother housemate Omar El Meyer was seen receiving a warning from producers in tonight's episode, amid a heated controversy that has been brewing on the outside world around his behaviour towards Rhianna Collins.

The contestant's conduct has sparked thousands of Ofcom complaints (via Radio Times), and prompted charity Women's Aid to release a statement in which they said the show "risks presenting abuse as a form of entertainment".

Concerns spiked following Monday night's episode, in which Rhianna ended their in-house relationship and intense conversations followed, during which Big Brother intervened by calling Rhianna to the Diary Room to ask if she was okay.

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Tonight, Omar was seen being called to the Diary Room, where he was told: "Big Brother wants to bring to your attention that at times, it appears that you are dismissing your fellow housemates' feelings and experiences, and not acknowledging the impact such behaviour could have on your fellow housemates and the viewing public.

"Some of your language used on more than one occasion and the behaviour you have exhibited could cause offense to your fellow housemates or the viewing public."

Omar responded: "I fully understand. Just, I've never dismissed a housemate's feelings, in all honesty. If I felt like a housemate was feeling something towards me which was incorrect, I would say it was incorrect. Not necessarily dismiss it, or tell them they don't deserve a feeling and they don't deserve to feel like that."

He added: "Let's be honest here. We're not talking about housemates, we're talking about my conversations with me and Rhianna."

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After saying he has "done nothing but try to look out for her", "accommodate her" and "care for her", he continued: "I did not walk in with any bad intentions or any malice and I didn't attempt to exercise anything malicious towards anyone. Like I said, I've acknowledged my housemate's feelings."

Big Brother replied: "Omar, you must always be mindful of the impact your language and behaviour can have on others."

Omar later had a one-on-one with Rhianna in the Snug, where he said: "So this is gonna be a very, very, very difficult conversation but I'm gonna unpack a lot of things. I just wanna pose you with the question: have I ever controlled you in any way? Or limited you in any way?"

Rhianna responded: "The word 'controlled' is crazy. You haven't and I don't feel that way. I am my own person, no one can control me, just like no one can control you."

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As their conversation continued, she said that in their disagreement, she "just felt like I'd done something wrong."

"I'd not said you'd done something wrong," Omar countered, to which Rhianna replied: "I know that, but that's just how I felt, and that's it."

At the end of the scene, she said: "I don't like arguing, I don't like bickering. I don't like these conversations, I don't want them to be had... So I will come and tell you [if] I don't like what you're doing."

Former winner Ali Bromley spoke out on Instagram today about what she described as signs of "emotional abuse", but of calls for Omar to be removed, she said that as a psychologist she would "pull Rhianna into a room for a psych session, off-camera, off-mic", and "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."

Neither Omar nor Rhianna faces 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.

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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.