Big Brother fans have been left questioning ITV over why a series of alleged racist comments made by Rochelle Rackham were seemingly left out of the show's televised episodes. The controversy has intensified following Friday night's eviction, which saw housemates Philip Regan and Rhianna Collins leave the famous house after previously being close to Rochelle.

Since their departures, both former contestants have hinted at incidents involving Rochelle that they found unacceptable, with viewers now demanding to know what happened behind the scenes and why audiences were not shown the full conversations.

The situation has also prompted questions about why Rochelle continued to receive support from viewers despite the growing controversy surrounding her behaviour throughout the series.

In the days following the evictions, attention turned to a conversation between Philip and Rhianna, who appeared to share concerns about something Rochelle had allegedly said inside the house.

During his exit interview with presenters AJ Odudu and Will Best, Philip was asked about his relationship with Rochelle and suggested that something she had said had crossed a line for him.

He explained: "She said something that I think wasn't right and I don't want to be bringing that thing up."

He continued: "It's something that I think is just wrong. And I've got my principles and I can't help the way I feel."

Rhianna also appeared reluctant to discuss the details during her own interview, but subsequently addressed the matter during a TikTok livestream.

She suggested that there were things viewers had not been made aware of, adding that she wanted to respect the people involved and the production team.

However, she later made her position clearer, stating: "I'm not going to lie, racist comments. That's it."

Her comments quickly fuelled speculation among viewers, with many taking to social media to question what had allegedly been said and why the incident had not been included in the programme.

ANOTHER ALLEGED INCIDENT EMERGES

The controversy took another turn after The Sun reported on November 2 that an additional incident involving Rochelle had allegedly taken place during a conversation about takeaway food.

According to an unnamed source quoted by the publication, Rochelle allegedly made an offensive comment concerning Chinese people while housemates were discussing takeaways.

The alleged exchange was reportedly not included in the broadcast.

The newspaper said it had contacted ITV for a response before publishing its report.

A Big Brother spokesperson responded: "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."

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

The allegation has not been independently established, and ITV has not publicly confirmed the specific conversation described by the unnamed source.

ROCHELLE'S PREVIOUS CONTROVERSIES

The latest claims come after Rochelle was already facing criticism over a number of incidents during her time on the programme.

Earlier in the series, an 11-year-old social media post resurfaced, showing a meme that contained an offensive joke about Muslims.

According to an exclusive report by AOL, Rochelle had informed production about the post before entering the house.

A source close to the contestant said she had since deleted it after recognising the offence it could cause and regretted sharing it.

Another controversy reportedly involved a conversation with fellow housemate Lynx Noumey, in which Rochelle allegedly described a Black man she had encountered on a train as acting strangely.

The exchange was not shown in the main programme, but reports suggested Lynx challenged her wording and explained why he found it offensive.

Rochelle reportedly apologised several times, and the pair subsequently reconciled.

Her behaviour has also been at the centre of wider discussions about the show's handling of controversial contestants.

VIEWERS QUESTION WHY IT WAS NOT SHOWN

The controversy has also reopened the debate about how much responsibility reality television producers have when deciding which conversations and incidents make the final edit.

Some viewers have questioned whether ITV should have shown the alleged exchanges so audiences could understand the growing tension between Rochelle and her fellow housemates.

Others have raised concerns about the apparent difference between what contestants experience inside the house and what viewers are actually shown.

The programme has previously faced scrutiny over its handling of race-related disagreements.

In October, PinkNews reported that Ofcom had received 493 complaints about the September 27 episode, which featured a heated disagreement involving Rochelle and Johanne Cade.

A further 91 complaints were reportedly received about an earlier episode broadcast on September 21.

The complaints related to viewers' concerns about alleged racism and bullying during the programme.

It is important to note that Ofcom receiving complaints does not mean that the regulator has found that broadcasting rules were breached.