The 67-year-old actor was removed from the reality show on Friday (05Aug16), after making a joke about concentration camps to Jewish housemate Katie Waissel, which TV network Channel 5 chose not to show viewers.
He joked to the 30-year-old former X Factor contestant while fellow housemates were showering, “You better be careful or they’ll be putting you in a shower and taking you to a room.”
Biggins told British newspaper The Sun on Saturday (06Aug16) he was mortified he had upset Waissel, and begged her for forgiveness. “I found Katie and said ‘I am mortified. I would never do anything to upset you. I love you and I’m really sorry’,” he told the newspaper.
The incident occurred on Monday (01Aug16), and Biggins said he had been reprimanded by show bosses. However, he made further controversial comments about bisexuals spreading Aids, and the decision was taken to remove him from the house.
“I am mortified by what’s happened, really mortified. Most of my friends, in fact, are Jewish. I apologised to Big Brother and Katie,” Biggins explained. “I love Jewish people.”
He added, “I have a lot of bisexual friends and I’m not in any way a bigoted person. I’m 67 and I love everybody. I live in Hackney (London) and I have a lot of black neighbours who are fantastic. It’s just not in my vocabulary that word. So to be chastised for those sorts of things is very sad.”
Despite the apology, bosses were forced to act after news broke of Biggins making the controversial comments. The actor claims he was evicted from the house in his underwear.
“I was called into the diary room so I went along in a shirt and underwear,” he recalled. “They said they’d warned me twice now and I’d broken the rules so they were going to evict me.
“I honestly thought it was a joke or trick. So I sat there in total disbelief. I wasn’t really taking it in. I walked in my underwear out of the house and was just in disbelief. I didn’t get to say goodbye to anyone. I was so stunned and so shocked.”