Russell Brand lost his cool with a journalist in Downing Street when he was asked how much he pays to rent his home.
The comic and actor was delivering a petition to No 10 as part of a campaign over the cost of housing in London.
But he became agitated when Channel 4 News reporter Paraic O’Brien suggested that part of the problem was the super-rich buying property in the capital.
When he was asked how much rent he pays, he replied: “I’m not interested in talking to you about my rent, mate. I’m here to support a very important campaign.”
As the reporter continued to question the 39-year-old about the value of his home, Brand pointed his finger in his face and said: “It’s rented. We don’t know the value, you would have to talk to my landlord.
“Blessedly, I can afford my rent and I’m prepared to stand up for people that can’t.”
Cutting the interview short, he added, talking about the campaign: “Snides like you, mate, undermine it. You’re a snide. All right, let’s do one.”
O’Brien wrote on Twitter: ” Is it my job to test tension between private circumstances and publicly-held views of celebrities? Yes.”
Hundreds of residents and supporters of the New Era estate in east London took part in the protest over fears that a takeover by US investment firm Westbrook could lead to a massive hike in rents.