Roxanne Pallett addresses Ryan Thomas Celebrity Big Brother 'punch' row: 'I got it wrong'

'I was an overreaction to what wasn't a malicious act'

Roxanne Pallett has spoken publicly for the first time since quitting Celebrity Big Brother after claiming Ryan Thomas “punched” her.

The former Emmerdale star appeared on Channel 5's Jeremy Vine show where she said she had “overreacted” to the incident.

Thomas, who once starred in ITV soap Coronation Street, received a warning after seemingly hitting Pallett during a play-fight.

Viewers were left confused, however, when she later broke down in tears, claiming she had been “punched repeatedly, unprovoked and completely deliberately” by Thomas and called for him to be removed from the Channel 5 show.

Pallet even asked to sleep in a separate room because she no longer felt “safe” in the shared bedroom.

Pallett has now acknowledged that Thomas meant no malice in the act, telling Vine: “When I look back on that footage, as soon as I left the house… I got it wrong.”

She issued an apology to Thomas, adding: “[It was] an overreaction to what wasn't a malicious act. I was sensitive and emotional and mistook what was playful - I apologise for it, I shouldn't have questioned his motivation.”

The incident has generated over 11,000 Ofcom complaints with many unhappy with producers' failure to show the remaining housemates the footage of the moment.

“I need to better myself and this is a serious subject and is something I need to focus on,” Pallett said. “I need to rebuild my career and my personal life - this has overshadowed everything and I'm taking this massively seriously. I hope that people can forgive me and I hope that Ryan can forgive me in time."

Pallett is the second star from this year's series to leave without being evicted, following the removal of Rodrigo Alves.

Celebrity Big Brother continues nightly on Channel 5.