Big Brother star Rochelle Rackham's 'racist' social media activity revealed: She's prompted hundreds of complaints over her 'bullying' on the show... and now insiders tell MOLLY CLAYTON about previous behaviour ITV bosses missed

She’s the Essex-born mother of three who has proved one of the most controversial Big Brother contestants in recent years.

Her comments about trans rights, feminism and racism have seen Rochelle Rackham, 57, cause quite the stir among housemates – and viewers. One heated clash between her and co-star Johanne Cade prompted 493 Ofcom complaints from fans who accused Rackham of racism and bullying.

Now, in a development that has raised serious questions about ITV’s vetting process for contestants, the Daily Mail can reveal that Rochelle shared a racist social media post 11 years ago, when she was working as an unknown nail technician.

The disgraceful message, which may shock Big Brother fans, features an image of a person bungee jumping, overlaid with the words: ‘Experience bungee jumping only £35 a jump. Muslims go free. No strings attached.’

Rochelle captioned the reshare: ‘Love this’ as well as tagging friends she thought would ‘appreciate’ the offensive joke and added: ‘Lol.’

In a bizarre twist, actress Laila Rouass, star of drama series Footballers' Wives and wife of snooker player Ronnie O’Sullivan, saw the post at the time because Rochelle was her nail technician. Appalled that she had reposted the racist image, Laila took to Facebook.

‘Wow someone just posted this, am I the only one that’s offended?’ wrote Laila, alongside an image of Rochelle’s repost. She immediately distanced herself from Rochelle.

A source told me: ‘After Rochelle’s comments on the show already, this barely comes as a surprise. But it’s shocking this wasn’t picked up and that she was allowed a platform and to go on the show.’

Rochelle’s historic post is likely to cause ITV bosses a headache as the 23rd series of the reality series enters its final few weeks.

For this is only the latest controversy involving Rochelle, who has faced criticism for several comments during her time in the house. In a single week, the series attracted 1,654 Ofcom complaints after being rocked by a string of explosive rows, most of which included Rochelle.

She was previously criticised after telling Charlotte Nott, 18, a quadruple amputee from Oxford, that she had ‘a bit of a fear’ of people with ‘no arms’. Rochelle has also faced backlash over comments about fellow contestant Millie Jarrett’s weight.

More recently, she upset trans activists by expressing her views on women’s rights, healthcare and transgender people, telling housemates: ‘I wouldn’t be happy with a transgender in the toilet with me.’

However, the most controversial moment came during a conversation about microaggressions between Johanne and Pauline Adeyemo, overheard by Rochelle.

The two were discussing their shared experiences as black women and a disagreement they’d had earlier in the series with Rochelle about cooking dinner.

Johanne said: ‘My situation with Rochelle felt like a microaggression because I feel like if anybody else was over there heating up their food… would [Rochelle] have reacted like that?

‘And that’s how you can really decipher a microaggression a lot of times – if you just put anybody there that looks like that person, would their behaviour still be the same?’

Rochelle, who heard the comment, proceeded to engage Johanne in a heated argument until Big Brother intervened and called Johanne to the Diary Room.

All of which raises the question: was Rochelle a suitable candidate and did ITV overlook her racist social media repost when casting her for the show?

In 2023, the channel published an updated ‘welfare package’ for Big Brother contestants, stating: ‘Housemates undergo a series of background checks including checks of their social media by an independent specialised service.’

But it wouldn’t be the first time such checks have fallen short. Within months of the guidance being published, it emerged that Big Brother housemate Trish Balusa had used racist and homophobic language in previous tweets. 

She was forced to apologise, saying: ‘There are no excuses for the ignorance that I have showed.’

It remains to be seen whether Rochelle will show similar contrition.

ITV were approached for comment.  

From phone screens to the big screen

British beauty and lifestyle influencer Chiara King makes her feature film acting debut this week with a chilling semi-autobiographical horror movie, The Influencer Project, inspired by her own real-life experience with a stalker. 

With over 4.2 million followers on TikTok and 1.4 million on Instagram, Chiara is no stranger to life in the public eye. However, this latest project takes things in a much darker direction. Blurring the lines between real life and fiction, I’m told the film explores the darker side of online fame and the frightening realities that can come with living life in the spotlight. This is one of the first times I’ve seen an influencer make the leap from social media to the big screen. So if you’re looking for a horror with a real-life edge, The Influencer Project is one to add to your watchlist, out in cinemas on Friday.

Influencer crackdown

Another day, another influencer photoshoot ban! This week it's been reported that the latest venue to crack down on the menace of influencers staging photoshoots is Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France. But it’s not the first and most certainly won’t be the last. Molly-Mae’s beloved Cheshire farm shop, Hollies, has done the same, while London’s Borough Market has also tightened its photography policies. 

Earlier this year, restaurateur Jeremy King, co-founder of The Wolseley and The Ivy, brought in extra security and banned unapproved filming after his restaurants were overrun with influencers. Honestly, I can see why these places are getting fed up. There’s a difference between snapping a quick picture and turning someone else’s business into your own personal shoot location. And from what I’m hearing, this is only the beginning. My contacts tell me more venues are expected to clamp down as public patience wears thin. About time, I say.

UP

Kudos to former Love Islander Jordan Hames, who released a YouTube video last week documenting his journey from reality TV to the world of luxury fashion. I appreciated his honesty and the reminder that success doesn’t happen overnight. These days, many wannabe stars apply for Love Island expecting instant deals with luxury brands, but Jordan shows that breaking into the fashion industry takes real graft, persistence and hard work. It’s refreshing to see someone being so open about what it takes to make it.

DOWN

Spencer Matthews has caused a stir by claiming running a marathon is ‘easy’. He made the comment during a podcast episode and has sparked uproar. Deservedly so. I think some sports influencers let their egos take over and forget just how incredible these accomplishments really are for ‘normal’ people.

Brands need to work with more 'grandfluencers!' Women's clothing brand Sézane is the latest to get on board with the trend towards elderly influencers, teaming up with viral retired couple Aki and Koichi. And then there’s silver-haired Grece Ghanem, the 61-year-old microbiologist-turned-fashion influencer with more than two million Instagram followers, who was everywhere at fashion weeks this year and has worked with brands including Hermès. Who said influencers need to be Gen Z?

Adidas and Asos have dropped their latest campaign, and I have spotted some of my favourite fashion influencers sporting the collection. Emily Shak, Farron Clark, Alicia Roddy and Rebecca Jackson are among the stylish faces showcasing the latest pieces. This marks the fifth womenswear drop from the collaboration, alongside its second menswear collection. There’s plenty to love, with the latest drop bringing fresh sportswear-inspired looks to the fashion crowd.

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