Contestant thrown off Big Brother for racism

LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) A contestant on the latest series of Big Brother was thrown off the show today for racially abusing another housemate, just days after bosses were forced to apologise for a racist row on the show's celebrity version.

Student Emily Parr, 19, was removed from the house in the early hours after she was heard to say: ''Are you pushing it out, you nigger?'' to black contestant Charley Uchea, 21, Channel 4 said in a statement.

Parr said she did not mean the comment to be offensive and Uchea said she had not taken it personally but was shocked at the language used.

Channel 4 said the exchange was not screened live and was immediately reported to senior production staff who took the decision to remove Parr from the camera-filled house on the grounds that she had broken the rules governing behaviour.

Angela Jain, who heads Channel 4's Big Brother commissioning team, said viewers would agree that the comments were careless rather than malicious.

''She (Parr) understands why her involvement in Big Brother has had to come an end and she very much regrets what she said,'' Jain said in a statement.

Parr had been up for eviction from the house after being chosen to be one of two housemates who would have to face a public vote.

The incident comes after this year's ''Celebrity Big Brother'' was overshadowed when eventual winner, Indian actress Shilpa Shetty, was racially abused by other housemates.

Channel 4 was ordered by the TV regulator Ofcom to issue an apology for its handling of that row before the eighth series of the popular reality show kicked off nine days ago.

''In the wake of Celebrity Big Brother, we must consider the potential offence to viewers regardless of Emily's intentions and her housemates' response, Jain said.

''The word 'nigger' is clearly racially offensive and there was no justification for its use. We have removed Emily from the house to once again make it clear to all housemates and the viewers at home that such behaviour won't be tolerated.'' REUTERS GL VV1619