JoJo Siwa's partner makes heartbreaking point after calling out Mickey Rourke's homophobic 'rape joke'

Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community which some readers may find distressing.

JoJo Siwa's partner has taken to social media to make a heartbreaking point after calling out Mickey Rourke's homophobic 'rape joke' on Celebrity Big Brother.

Last night's episode (9 April) saw Mickey, 72, brazenly ask the 21-year-old Dance Moms star - who identifies as a lesbian - about her sexuality. He declared that 'if [he stays] longer than four days, you won’t be gay anymore', to which she responded: "I can guarantee I will still be gay and I will still be in a very happy relationship."

Mickey then vowed he would 'tie her up' in a what her partner, Kath Ebbs, has since branded a 'rape joke'.

Following the episode, JoJo's partner, Kath Ebbs, who is non-binary, took no time to break their silence on the 'rape joke' made by Mickey.

Branding him a 'pig' in a series of understandably furious Instagram stories, Kath explained: "The five-minute clip, which was the whole conversation has so many f*cking layers to it, it is crazy. Firstly, he asked her if she was into boys or girls. She answers that she is gay.

"He then proceeds to tell her that he is going to turn her straight if he is in the house long enough. She shuts it down.

"Once she shuts it down he says he is going to tie her up. That is a rape joke. That is. Call it what it is."

Kath later took the opportunity to make a heartbreaking point that only one housemate defended JoJo, former Love Island star Chris Hughes, while calling out Big Brother only issuing Mickey with a 'warning' following his highly offensive remarks.

"Yes, the production gave him a formal warning and told him what he said was homophobic, but that is dangerous language, and obviously it is a TV show with cameras everywhere and security and we saw the beautiful Chris Hughes, which thank you, Chris, thank you for doing my job. I was very upset, and then when I saw him backing her, having her back and comforting her, it made me feel a little bit better," she praised.

Stating that she was 'a little bit disappointed' that Mickey's comments weren't further called out by other contestants or the show itself, Kath continued: "I would genuinely be so disappointed if the public doesn’t vote Mickey out.

"I don’t give a f**k if you think he is entertaining. I don’t give a f**k. He is a pig. He is a pig, and he is a dangerous person. I would not want to be alone in a room with him, and I wouldn’t want anyone to be alone in a room with him."

A Big Brother spokesperson told Tyla: "All Housemates receive Respect and Inclusion training and an extensive briefing from the Big Brother Senior team to prepare them for living in the House and to set out Big Brother’s expectation for appropriate behaviour and language.

"Housemates are monitored 24 hours a day and instances of inappropriate behaviour are dealt with appropriately and timely."

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]