Featured in Ryan Thomas and Roxanne Pallett’s Celebrity Big Brother Punch Gate series

Ryan Thomas was officially cautioned when Roxanne Pallett accused him of hitting her on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.

The pair became embroiled in the year’s celebrity feud when Roxanne claimed the former Coronation Street “punched her on a bag like a boxer” during a playfight.

Ryan switched to Roxanne and pretended to be a boxer by throwing punches in the air, also known as shadow boxing.

But while her co-star Sally Morgan didn’t seem too concerned, Roxanne walked away saying, “Ow, wife beater, that hurts like hell!”

After realizing he may have hurt the former Emmerdale actress, Ryan apologized before trying to hug the star.

Moments after the alleged incident, Roxanne secretly spoke to Big Brother and its producers through her microphone.

“I just got beat up by Corrie’s Jason Grimshaw, ouch, Big Brother, that hurt,” she said.

She later urged the producers to call her into the diary room, where she said, “Can I speak to a producer, please? I need to speak to a member of the production, if that’s ok?

“I just need to talk to someone on production about something that just happened that I’m really uncomfortable with. I don’t really want to go further and talk about it on camera like that.”

Following the allegation, Ryan, who turns 38 today, was slapped with a formal warning before being forced to sleep in a separate room from the rest of the house.

Roxanne claimed she doesn’t feel “safe” sleeping in the main house and bedroom when Ryan stays alongside her celebrity co-stars.

After appearing to be fine, Roxanne looked stressed again as she told Ben Jardine, “I’m not [OK]it wasn’t a play fight,” before appearing to punch Ben.

While chatting with Ben and Dan Osborne, Roxanne added, “That’s why women don’t say anything because it’s the other way around,” before Ryan said, “I would never, ever, ever do anything like that, I know what she does to me.”

Ryan denied the allegations, insisting there was “no malice, hurt or anger” behind his actions – and protested his innocence to his Big Brother housemates.

But Roxanne told producers: “He’s trying to manipulate her [housemates] if I think I’m making it up, I’m not making it up.

“He tarnishes my reputation by saying it’s an act.”

A devastated Ryan explained to Sally Morgan: “I just don’t get it.”

But Big Brother later hinted to Dan that Ryan was indeed the innocent party, saying, “Dan, it’s worth pondering why Ryan wasn’t removed from the house.”

Roxanne later said she thought Ryan would be “incredibly stupid” to hit her in “a house full of surveillance.”

Pallet later apologized to Thomas for her “overreaction to what was not a malicious act.”

Many viewers flocked in support of Ryan as they claimed Roxanne tried to tarnish his reputation with her assault claims.

Ofcom received a whopping 25,000 complaints in just four days, making it the most-complained incident on the show since the racing series began in 2007.

Roxanne decided to leave the house on day 17 of the series, but after leaving the house Channel 5 bosses made the decision to interview Roxanne away from the glaring eyes of a live audience, with presenter Emma Willis struggling to keep the to remain impartial at all times.

Roxanne said: “I’m the most hated person in Britain.

“I’m scared of the future…I just want to say I’m sorry,” before Emma explained that Roxanne exaggerated the situation.

Ryan won the series after receiving support from over 20 Emmerdale cast members – including Charley Webb and Kelvin Fletcher.

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