Celebrity Big Brother contestant accused of bullying before series even starts
A model was left in tears after the pair's interaction on a late night comedy show.
Donna Preston has been hit with controversy before even starting her stint at the Big Brother house, after being accused of 'bullying' Christine McGuinness to the point of tears.
Donna, 36, is set to join the rest of the cast on this year's season of Celebrity Big Brother this upcoming Monday. But long before getting the chance to get involved in a row on set, she was at the centre of a tense exchange with another CBB applicant on on ITV2’s Hey Tracey!
Christine made claims that a difficult on screen encounter left her crying and reconsidering her place in the TV industry in her autobiography A Beautiful Nightmare.
In the book Christine did not name her opponent, but described being blindsided by her brutal takedown, as the presenter told her: "I’ve got no f***ing idea who you are. I don’t care who you are, I don’t know who you think you are, and I don’t know what you’re even doing here. You are really beautiful, aren’t you? But there’s nothing else."
The Sun has since revealed that it was Donna who made these comments. Christine admitted she struggled to clap back with a sassy quip of her own, saying she felt "mortified, embarrassed, and humiliated".
She added: "I was really upset about it and ever since then it’s always been a focus in my mind. Do I actually want to be on TV? Is this for me? Do I want to stay as a TV personality?"
Christine also shared that production staff checked in on her afterwards and her agent made sure the footage was never aired. While she later received an apology from Donna via social media, she never replied and has not spoken to the comedian since.
The model justified this decision, writing: "I’m not a bully and I don’t pick on anybody, so I don’t want to associate myself with somebody like that."
However, Joel Dommett was hosting Hey Tracey! that night, and has since defended Donna, insisting any 'hurtful' comments were made in jest as part of the show's comedic set up.
He also said he reached out to Christine's husband at the time, Paddy McGuinness, to check in and compliment Christine for making an appearance on the show.
Joel added: "At the end of the day, it is a comedy show. It was made in jest. I don’t like anyone to feel like they went away from the show unhappy. No one expressed their concerns to me, but I do like to make sure everyone is happy if they are on a show with me. I hope she is okay."
Donna has since gained mainstream recognition for her role in Netflix's The Sandman as Despair, and an appearance on Channel 4 reality show Scared of the Dark. She has also been a regular panellist on Big Brother: Late & Live.
Meanwhile Christine has previously been in talks to enter the Big Brother house, but never made it past negotiations.
Celebrity Big Brother begins Monday on ITV1 and ITVX.