Celebrity Big Brother star Mickey Rourke’s dark past has come to light since he entered the house on Monday night.
The controversial Hollywood actor, 72, was previously accused of putting a gun to his ex-wife Carré Otis’ head on their honeymoon and threatened to kill himself with a hari-hari sword if she didn’t say yes to his proposal.
Mickey was also arrested four years before their divorce in 1998 over claims he slapped and kicked Carré, now 56. The case was later dropped.
Controversy surrounded his role as an IRA bomber in the 1987 film A Prayer For The Dying and his declared support for the terrorist organisation.
The actor called Putin ‘a man with empathy’ back in 2022 amid the Russian president’s invasion of Ukraine but later shared conflicting views about him.
Amid the uproar surrounding Mickey’s behaviour, ITV has come under fire for paying him a huge six-figure sum to appear on the show.
MailOnline have contacted ITV for comment.
Just minutes into his debut, Mickey’s ‘creepy’ behaviour sparked outrage after host AJ Odudu was forced to tell him to ‘stop looking at me’.
Viewers have since raised their concerns for the female contestants in the house and have fumed he ‘should be cancelled’ following his violent past with women.
A spokesperson for CBB confirmed all housemates have welfare meetings and conversations in advance about expected language and behaviour.
Here, MailOnline takes a look at Mickey’s dark past amid his controversial appearance on Celebrity Big Brother.
Celebrity Big Brother star Mickey Rourke’s, 72, dark past has come to light since he entered the house on Monday night (pictured with hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best)
The controversial star was accused of putting a gun to his ex-wife Carré Otis’ head on their honeymoon and was arrested for ‘kicking and slapping her’ (pictured together in 1996)
The actor called Putin ‘a man with empathy’ amid the Russian president’s invasion of Ukraine and thrown support towards the IRA (pictured in 2014 wearing a T-shirt with Putin’s face on it)
Arrested for ‘kicking and slapping’ ex wife Carré
Former model and ex-wife of the controversial actor has spoken many times about their tumultuous relationship.
Carré Otis was a 20-year-old supermodel when she auditioned for the film Wild Orchid and met co-star Mickey.
Before their divorce in 1998, Mickey was arrested in 1994 over claims he ‘slapped and kicked’ Carré.
However, the case was soon dropped against Mickey after Carré failed to appear in court twice.
Carré was shot in the shoulder with Mickey’s gun
Former model and ex-wife of the controversial actor has spoken many times about their tumultuous relationship after their divorce in 1998 (pictured together in Wild Orchid in 1989)
Mickey was arrested in 1994 over claims he ‘slapped and kicked’ Carré. However, the case was soon dropped against Mickey after Carré failed to appear in court twice (pictured in 1991)
In an excerpt from her 2011 Beauty Disrupted: A Memoir, the 90s’ beauty said she was shot after Mickey stashed his handgun in her bag without letting her know.
She wrote: ‘We went out to dinner. We were almost at the restaurant when I looked down and saw a .357 Magnum on the floor near my feet.’
After telling her then boyfriend to get rid of the weapon, Carré then unwittingly carried it in her bag until it discharged at Mickey’s home.
The bullet lodged just two inches from her heart.
‘She remembers the scene: ‘Wait! Help me!” I finally cried out, forcing the words to come. ‘You gotta help me . . . I’m bleeding. I’m bleeding really bad.’
I wailed. It hurt so much to move.
‘This is a nightmare. Clean this up!’ Mickey was agitated. I could tell he had grave concerns that the press would get wind of the incident.
I panicked, wondering which was more important: my life or covering up the fact that I’d been shot with Mickey Rourke’s gun?’
The guilt of holding the secret led to their first separation in 1992 – before reuniting with a disturbing proposal.
Carré explained that when Mickey proposed to her, he threatened to kill himself with a hari-hari sword if she didn’t say yes.
The blonde recalled: ‘Before I knew what he was doing, he got down on one knee. “Marry me, Carré”.
‘”Jesus, Mickey. Wait. I haven’t seen you in months!” I was starting to feel panicked. “I need time, some time to think about this”.
‘”No. You answer me now”‘, he said firmly. Standing up, he went to the back of the car and opened the trunk. “I can’t live without you”, he said again, pulling out a long sword wrapped in beautiful Japanese cloth.
‘”What’s that?” I asked.
‘”It’s a hari-kari knife”, he replied, unwrapping it. The long metal sword caught the afternoon light. Mickey stared into my eyes. “Answer me or I will die”.
Pulled a gun to Carré’s head
In an excerpt from her 2011 Beauty Disrupted: A Memoir, the 90s’ beauty, now 56, said she was shot after Mickey stashed his handgun in her bag without letting her know
On their honeymoon night, Carré told American broadcaster Anderson Cooper in 2011 that Mickey had put a gun to her head ‘multiple times’ during their relationship (pictured in 1991)
On their honeymoon night, Carré told American broadcaster Anderson Cooper in 2011 that Mickey had put a gun to her head ‘multiple times’ during their relationship.
One incident sparked from Carré telling Mickey, who was going through well-publicised battles with drugs and alcohol at the time, she didn’t want him to go out.
According to Radar, she said: ‘It wasn’t the first time, but I had said to him, “I don’t want you going out”.
‘He put a gun to my head and told me he was going out.’
Anderson repeated: ‘He put a gun, right to your head?’
‘He did’, Carré admitted.
‘IRA supporter’
Mickey was denounced by British lawmakers in 1989 after comments he made about money he gave to the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at Cannes Film Festival (pictured)
Mickey was denounced by British lawmakers in 1989 after comments he made about money he gave to the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
At Cannes Film Festival that year, where he promoted his movie Francesco, Mickey was asked if he ever donated money to religious causes.
According to Los Angeles Times, he replied: ‘Yes I have, to causes in Northern Ireland. Yes, to Joe Doherty, who is a prisoner in New York City.’
Joe Doherty was imprisoned for nine years in New York City after the killing of SAS’ Herbert Westmacott in the 1980s, as per Sunday World.
However, Mickey took back his alleged comments in a statement he released shortly after saying he had ‘only been involved in humanitarian aid in Northern Ireland, never with the Irish Republican Army’.
‘If people in England choose to use this as a platform to persecute me as an Irish Catholic American, then that is their indulgence’, he said.
‘Putin is a man with empathy’, says Mickey
Mickey sparked outrage when he praised Putin (pictured in March) for being a ‘man of empathy’ amid the war in Ukraine in an interview on Fox News in 2022
Mickey sparked outrage when he praised Putin for being a ‘man of empathy’ amid the war in Ukraine in an interview on Fox News – but soon after went back on his controversial views.
Back in 2014, the actor was also photographed wearing a T-shirt with Putin’s face on the back of it, while stressing he has ‘positive memories’ of meeting the leader.
‘He took us to a very famous museum in St. Petersburg. And then later he took me to a children’s cancer hospital. And we went in there and visited the really, really sick, little, tiny, tiny kids.
‘I looked over at him and I saw him and, nobody’s going to want to hear this, but I saw a man with empathy and who was really moved by what these children are going through.’
Mickey, however, did admit in the interview he was ‘praying for Putin to end the war’, as per Newsweek.
‘When I pray at night, I pray, “Please, God, give, you know, let him find something inside his soul to just say, okay, that’s it”, he said.
In an interview years after on TalkTV, Mickey went against his claims and insisted his impression on Putin had changed.
He said: ‘That was 2014. I just want to make that clear. I went over there in 2014, and there was some sort of event where entertainers from the States came over and he was dancing with Sharon Stone.’
Mickey became increasingly upset during the chat with Piers Morgan and was brought to tears as he gave his latest impression of Putin.
‘That’s the thing that blows my mind, because it’s like two brother countries and I don’t understand what he wants.
‘Not only combatants are getting killed but old people are getting killed, young people are getting killed, schools are getting targeted, hospitals are getting targeted. All that is not right’, Mickey said.
Mickey’s ‘creepy’ behaviour towards AJ Odudu
The Hollywood actor was the final star to enter the house on Monday – but he was quickly slammed for being ‘creepy’
Viewers were equally horrified by the display as they penned on X: ‘Won’t last 5 minutes in there. Inappropriate behaviour’
The Hollywood actor was the final star to enter the house on Monday – but he was quickly slammed for being ‘creepy’.
Mickey took a long stroll to get onto the stage for his entrance, before joining the ITV show’s hosts AJ and Will Best on stage.
But his behaviour towards AJ sparked outrage, after he grabbed onto her before staring her up and down intensely, prompting the host to shout: ‘Stop looking at me.’
Mentioning the inappropriate moment on spin-off show Late and Live, comedian Alan Carr said to AJ: ‘Can we talk about Mickey Rourke looking at you? Wow his eyes.
‘Find someone who looks at you the way Mickey looks at you [AJ]. His tongue was hanging out.’
AJ quipped back: ‘It literally was. I was like “You can’t afford these feathers Mickey, no!”‘
Viewers were equally horrified by the display as they penned on X: ‘Won’t last 5 minutes in there. Inappropriate behaviour’,
‘i need mickey rourke to keep 50 feet away from jojo siwa & all the women in the house at all times after he treated the host on live television actually’,
‘We need him out’,
‘This was disgusting. Get him out. #CBBUK’,
‘So… how long do we think it’ll take before Mickey Rourke says something that gets him cancelled?’,
‘Mickey Rourke is 100% getting thrown out for being inappropriate within the first 24 hours!!!! #CBBUK’,
‘I put money on mickey rourke getting kicked out within the next few days. How he treated AJ was totally unacceptable #CBBUK’,
‘And every woman just cringed in horror at Mickey Rourke ogling AJ like that’.
CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER 2025: MEET THE LINEUP!
MICKEY ROURKE
AGE: 72
FAMOUS FOR: The actor and former pro boxer is one of the show’s biggest ever signings and after public feuds with Robert De Niro, two marriages and a string of high profile relationships, producers will be hoping he brings plenty of drama.
DALEY THOMPSON
AGE: 66
FAMOUS FOR: The double Olympic gold-medallist is considered one of Britain’s greatest athletes, and he would no doubt cause a stir with younger celebrities if he entered the house. He broke the decathlon world record four times.
PATSY PALMER
AGE: 52
FAMOUS FOR: It’s an open secret that Patsy is leaving EastEnders, with the actress enjoying a wild leaving party this month. The Bianca Jackson star posted a snap of her character on Instagram with the caption: ‘Bye bye B, always grateful to see her again.’
DONNA PRESTON
AGE: 38
FAMOUS FOR: While Donna has featured in several TV shows and movies, the comedy star is known for hosting Apocalypse and for the role of a circus Compere in 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald. She plays Den in Coronation Street, has featured in Pants On Fire in 2019 and even wrote and co-produced BBC Three’s Comedy Threesomes.
CHESNEY HAWKES
AGE: 53
FAMOUS FOR: The singer topped the charts for five weeks in 1991 with his hit The One And Only, before making a string of acting and TV appearances. His arrival on CBB has been described by a TV source as ‘perfect timing’, as he’s set to release a comeback album in April.
ANGELLICA BELL
AGE: 49
FAMOUS FOR: The TV presenter is said to have landed a staggering five-figure deal to appear on Celebrity Big Brother. Fans will be keen to see if the CBBC legend spills all on her untimely exit from The Martin Lewis Show – which left fans baffled back in 2023. Angellica currently co-presents Hits Radio while Fleur East is on maternity leave.
DANNY BEARD
AGE: 32
FAMOUS FOR: The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner – whose real name is Daniel Curtis – has signed up as a late entry. Danny previously made headlines after swearing on Big Brother’s Late & Live last March whilst doing an impression of housemate Louis Walsh. The incident saw the guest say the word ‘c***’ before immediately apologising after being informed they weren’t allowed to say that on the show.
CHRIS HUGHES
AGE: 32
FAMOUS FOR: After shooting to fame on Love Island in 2017, Chris went on to become a sports presenter and regularly hosts the horse racing coverage on ITV.
JOJO SIWA
AGE: 21
FAMOUS FOR: The American singer, who shot to stardom on reality show Dance Moms, is expected to draw a big American audience. The hitmaker has made a name for herself in the U.S. pop charts and is known for her outlandish looks and being a vocal member of the LGBTQ+ community.
TRISHA GODDARD
AGE: 67
FAMOUS FOR: The talk show host regularly presented on ITV from 1998 to 2004 and then shifted to Channel 5 from 2004 to 2010. Trisha has been suffering horrible side effects of her chemotherapy – but has bravely battled on.
JACK P. SHEPHERD
AGE: 37
FAMOUS FOR: The actor has played David Platt in Corrie since 2000 and is following in his pal Colson Smith’s footsteps by taking part in the popular reality show. He has won a string of awards for the role including Best Actor at the British Soap Awards.
ELLA RAE WISE
AGE: 24
FAMOUS FOR: Producers have been keen to land the TV personality, who previously dated Pete Wicks and has had an on-off romance with Dan Edgar. Bosses are hoping the TOWIE star might reveal all about some of her other famous exes.
MICHAEL FABRICANT
AGE: 74
FAMOUS FOR: The former Conservative politician is understood to have signed a lucrative six-figure deal to take part after political stars were banned from the broadcaster’s other reality show, I’m A Celeb. He served as MP for Lichfield in Staffordshire from 1992 until his defeat in 2024 as well as vice-chairman of the party under David Cameron. But he is perhaps best known for his blond mop for which he has been widely ridiculed but repeatedly denies is a wig.
