Celebrity Big Brother viewers have accused the housemates of being on a “witch hunt” for Shane Jenek after he was nominated for eviction.
Former favourite Jenek has fallen out of favour with his fellow housemates due to his attitude towards Ann Widdecombe, who he has been clashing with throughout the series.
Things came to a head during Monday night’s episode of the Channel 5 show, when most of the contestants nominated him, citing his treatment of the former MP.
However, furious viewers have said the backlash against Jenek – who has a drag alter ego named Courtney Act – is “disgraceful”.
One fan said on Twitter: “Honestly cannot believe the way that Shane/Courtney is being treated,he has been an icon in cbb and explained homosexuality, being trans and a lot of other lgbt issues in in a unbiased and simplistic way.”
One person wrote: “This is actually a joke. Shane J is the VICTIM.”
“Shane J dealing with the situation with total grace & dignity! He is a beautiful person & I now dislike them all for isolating him,” said another.
“I feel like there is a witch hunt for Shane in there, finding it hard to watch he truly has a kind heart,” said another person.
Jenek and Widdecombe have struggled to find common ground in discussions about gender and sexuality.
While there are still eight contestants in the house, many fans believe the series has come down to a battle between the pair.
Some have likened it to Brexit because of the divide among viewers.
“If Ann wins over Shane J/Courtney, this’ll be like Brexit all over again,” tweeted one person.
“#cbb this is like #brexit again dividing the country,” said another.
Widdecombe, Jenek, Malika Haqq, Shane Lynch, Ashley James and Amanda Barrie are all facing eviction from the house.
Celebrity Big Brother continues on Channel 5.