I'M A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! fans have hit out at ITV after Arlene Phillips was shown making a so-called joke about OCD.
The former Strictly Come Dancing judge, 78, made the flippant comment about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in the launch episode of the new series.
As she travelled in the car to meet her fellow campmates, Arlene said she suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder because she hates dirt.
"I cannot live with dirt. I am completely OCD about everything in my life being organised, clean, neat and tidy," she said.
But viewers were seriously unimpressed.
Taking to Twitter, some have even called on ITV to apologise for airing Arlene's shock comment to the nation.
One tweeted: "As it was prerecorded I’m disappointed that @ITV didn’t edit out. #OCD is not a funny quirky desire to be clean. It is a mental health condition that can turn peoples lives upside down. Apology needed from #imaceleb."
Another said: "How many times, OCD isn’t a cute little quirk about liking things tidy. It’s a debilitating mental health disorder. Do better itv, you didn’t have to show Arlene saying that #ImACeleb."
A third raged: "OCD is not an adjective and not a ‘quirk’.. please can @ITV take this on board? Let’s all work together to raise more awareness that OCD is a serious mental health condition and not a term to describe how clean you are.. #ImACeleb."
And a fourth aded: "#ImACeleb Imagine smiling while saying you have OCD. I can’t talk it about it without looking like I’m about to cry."
? Read our I'm A Celeb 2021 live blog for the latest updates
'UNHELPFUL AND INAPPROPRIATE'
Bosses from the charity OCD-UK have also questioned why ITV producers decided to leave Arlene's comment in the pre-recorded episode.
They also reached out directly to Arlene, offering to educate her on the mental health disorder once she is home from the castle.
"Not for the first time @ITV have left an unhelpful and inappropriate reference to OCD in an @antanddec #ImACeleb episode. Pre-Recorded so could easily have been edited out so not to add to misconceptions/ stigma," the charity tweeted.
"Happy to have a chat to discuss why this is so unhelpful when you’re out @arlenephillips."
An ITV spokesman did not wish to comment when contacted by The Sun Online.
On Sunday night, 10 celebrities were seen arriving in the Welsh countryside as the 2021 series of I'm A Celeb got underway.
Arlene is the oldest contestant to have ever taken part but she is determined to see it through until the end.
I’m A Celebrity 2021 – here’s everything you need to know
- When does I'm a Celebrity start?
- Where is I'm A Celebrity 2021 filmed?
- How to vote on I'm A Celebrity
- Where are Ant and Dec staying in Wales?
- I'm A Celebrity full line up – meet all the contestants below:
- Who is Frankie Bridge?
- Who is DJ Locksmith?
- Who is Arlene Phillips?
- Who is Matty Lee?
- Who is Naughty Boy?
- Who is David Ginola?
- Who is Richard Madeley?
- Who is Adam Woodyatt?
- Who is Simon Gregson?
- Who is Kadeena Cox?
- Who is Snoochie Shy?
- Who is Louise Minchin?
After it was announced that she was going into camp, a source told The Mirror: "Arlene is strong and tough and her energy is boundless.
“No doubt she’ll have the group dancing around the campfire in a bid to beat the cold and keep morale high."
Prior to Arlene, the oldest contestant on the programme so far has been Prime Minister Boris Johnson's dad, Stanley, who starred in the 17th series back in 2017, aged 77.
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