Yahoo News Roxanne Pallett on Celebrity Coach Trip: When is she back?
Celebrity Coach Trip is back with a whole new roster of famous faces, but what everyone is really wondering about is when Roxanne Pallett is going to show up.
A Channel 4 spokesperson confirmed to Digital Spy that Roxanne will be appearing in the current series of the reality show, and she'll make her debut in episode eight (due to air January 23) alongside her former Waterloo Road co-star George Sampson.
But, who is Roxanne Pallet and why are people talking about her?
We may be in the throes of #NewYearNewMe right now, but we're almost certain that your resolution-making won't have erased one of the most controversial TV moments of 2018 from your memory. But just in case, let's fill you in.
The former Emmerdale star made quite the impact during her time in the Celebrity Big Brother house last year, in what became the final ever CBB series to air on Channel 5.
In a moment that completely blind-sided viewers at home, Roxanne accused fellow housemate Ryan Thomas of "punching" her following a seemingly innocent exchange. She then went into the next room and asked, via microphone, to be called into the Diary Room.
Roxanne ultimately requested to speak to a producer away from the cameras, and it later became apparent that she must have made a complaint against Ryan for his behaviour as he was handed a formal warning.
"A boy has punched me repeatedly, unprovoked, completely deliberate," she told Big Brother.
This series of events was dubbed 'punch-gate', and further developments inside the CBB house over the days that followed ended up causing a media frenzy that totally transcended the show.
Ryan's family spoke out against his treatment; his brother Scott Thomas (of Love Island fame) branded Roxanne "dangerous" for making such claims, and Ryan's girlfriend Lucy Mecklenburgh (formerly a cast member of The Only Way Is Essex) started a social media campaign to get her removed from the show.
As Roxanne's version of events started to unravel inside the walls of the CBB house – having overheard the crowd response during a live eviction – she decided it was time to leave.
But even her exit didn't draw the whole debacle to a close. Roxanne was met by an incredibly frosty reception; in fact, she labelled herself the "most hated girl in Britain" during her post-exit interview with Emma Willis.
Related: Why Celebrity Big Brother HAD to take Roxanne Pallett's 'assault' seriously
In her first televised appearance after walking away, Roxanne issued a strong apology to Ryan, his family and anyone that had seen the clip, admitting that she "got it wrong".
"I agree fully with every single person who is outraged by my reaction, massively," she said, during an unpaid appearance on Jeremy Vine.
"I am devastated, and would be mortified to think even one person out there felt that I had discredited or undermined abuse, because that was not my intention.
"In that moment, my emotions and my thought process were greater than the action, and looking back, I absolutely overreacted. I was out of order. I got it wrong."
Shortly after the backlash Roxanne made it clear that she intended to take some time away from the spotlight, stepping down from her role on York's Minster FM radio station. But then it emerged that she'd be returning to our screens sooner than we expected as part of the rebooted Celebrity Coach Trip line-up.
It's worth noting that these scenes are understood to have been filmed before her explosive series of Celebrity Big Brother. So while she is about to appear on our screens once again, that doesn't necessarily mean that she's making a comeback.
Celebrity Coach Trip airs on E4.
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