Big Brother UK fans praise 18-year-old quadruple amputee Charlotte after ‘awkward’ entrance
It’s officially that time of year again - Big Brother UK has kicked off its fourth series on ITV.
On Sunday night (13 September), we met a batch of 16 new contestants who’ve been waved off to take part in the ultimate reality TV social experiment.
For eight weeks, the group of strangers will have to live together, complete tasks, and try to win over the public in an attempt to bag the whopping £100,000 cash prize.
But there’s one contestant in particular who, after the live launch hosted by AJ Odudu and Will Best, is getting heaps of praise from the public for how she handled a tricky situation.
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18-year-old Charlotte, a student from Oxford, explained in her VT that she lost her hands and feet to meningitis at age three and is a quadruple amputee.
She said during her intro: “People stare at me. People even take pictures of me. And I forget, because I’ll be out and I’ll be like, ‘Oh my God, I must be looking quite nice today!’ and then I remember it’s actually because I’ve got no limbs.”
Like all of the other housemates, she was driven to the launch in a blacked-out car and stepped out to make her grand entrance and walk past the cheering crowds, onto the stage and through the iconic Big Brother eye, into the house.
However, seconds after stepping out of the car, her shoe came off, and host Will rushed over to help her put it back on.
She got the stiletto on but came into trouble again on the stairs and decided in the end to ask for help to remove her prosthetic legs, while the cameras cut away to the housemates who were already inside.
Ultimately, she went into the house without her prosthetic legs and said to Will and AJ beforehand: “My legs! My shoe came off. I’m so sorry, I had to take my legs off.”
AJ quickly reassured her that there’s ‘nothing to apologise for,’ before the duo quizzed her on what she’d be like as a housemate.
Viewers at home quickly reacted to the moment on social media, with one writing: “They should've provided her with an accessible entrance. It was a huge oversight making her take the stairs. I know her shoe breaking added to the situation, but they should've been prepared. I hope she's doing OK.”
A second X user agreed: “I think ITV will be looking into accessibility access ahead of the next series. That was incredibly awkward, but at least Charlotte handled it well #BBUK.”
While a third wrote: “Okay Charlotte you are an icon right now!!! #BBUK” and a fourth added: “Yeah, I am slightly worried about Charlotte from an accessibility point of view within the house. #BBUK.”
Others praised: “Bless that Charlotte, she’s one brave girl! #BBUK” and “Inspirational this girl I like her already. Charlotte early winner prediction perhaps #bbuk.”
A Big Brother spokesperson told Tyla: “Prior to Charlotte's entrance to the House, we worked closely with her and a specialist access co-ordinator to understand her access requirements and agree, with her, the arrangements for her entrance and time in the House. A plan was put in place based on those discussions and agreed with Charlotte; however, she had an unforeseen issue with her shoe.”
The show also advised that Charlotte was offered the use of a ramp, but she said she would prefer to use the stairs, and host Will met with her prior to the launch to rehearse her entrance.
Big Brother spoke to Charlotte last night, and she is okay. In consultation with Charlotte and the show’s specialist access co-ordinator, they have made a number of changes to the house to ensure it fully meets her accessibility requirements.
Topics: Reality TV, ITV, Entertainment, UK News
Madison Burgess