Yahoo News Big Brother's Lewis says Hitler comment led to removal
Note: The following article contains NSFW language that could be offensive or troubling to readers.
Big Brother's Lewis Flanagan has made a bombshell admission that comments made about the Holocaust and Adolf Hitler were the cause of his removal from the show.
Channel 5 has thus far refused to show the footage leading up to his departure from the house, only announcing afterwards that he'd used "unacceptable language that contravenes the rules" on Friday (October 26).
In a new interview with The Sun, Flanagan claimed he was called to the Diary Room and told he'd be ejected shortly after he'd tried making light of a garbled sentence with a reference to the Nazi leader.
"I was talking to Cameron about getting him some outfits and I said the word 'Auschwitz' instead of outfits by mistake," he said.
"It was a slip of the tongue and then I tried to mock Hitler and did an impression of him saying: 'Kill the Jews.'
"It was an impression not a statement of my beliefs at all - and has come out completely wrong and I'm devastated. I am not anti-Semitic, I am agnostic. I love all people. It was a misguided comment that came out wrong."
However, Flanagan insisted that he was "not ashamed" of his behaviour because it was "it was an impression of Hitler" rather than actual reflection of his beliefs.
"It has cost me," he admitted. "I lost out on the best part of my experience. I apologise wholeheartedly and want to move on with my life. I'm trying my best to be a good man.
"I went in to Big Brother to be myself and part of that is I'm not perfect - I'm far from it and I made a mistake and that's all it was and all I can do now is apologise."
Big Brother declined to comment on Lewis' interview when reached by Digital Spy. In the immediate aftermath of his removal from the house, Lewis released a message thanking fans for their "support" and sent a "f**k you" to anyone hating on him.
The housemate was hugely divisive throughout his weeks on the series, having had legendary clashes with the likes of Lewis G, Kay, Hussain and Tomasz by the time he'd left the house last week.
Big Brother continues tonight (October 31) at 10pm on Channel 5.
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