Davina McCall has been criticised by media watchdog Ofcom for using the word "retard" on spin-off show Celebrity Big Brother's Big Mouth. The incident occurred in January, on the same night as the finale of the last ever series of Celebrity Big Brother. Evicted housemate Vinnie Jones first used the word when he talked about Davina entering the house in a chicken outfit. Asked how he knew that the person in the disguise was Davina and not Nicola Tappenden, he demonstrated walking with difficulty and told Celebrity Big Brother's Big Mouth: "She was walking like a retard, she was walking like this and our Nicky walks lovely." Davina responded: "I do not walk like a retard." Ofcom received eight complaints about the Hollywood actor's comment, with seven viewers also offended by Davina's response. Some said the Big Brother presenter did not reprimand the movie hardman. Ofcom originally did not uphold the complaints and received letters of protest about its decision. Later, it decided to hold a review by referring the case to its Broadcasting Review Committee. On Monday it stated: "It was the Committee's view that his (Vinnie's) use of the word 'retard' was capable of being understood not as merely a passing reference directed towards Ms McCall but also as ridiculing those with a physical or learning difficulty, emphasised by his attempt at imitation." Channel 4 said the comments had been allowed to go unchecked "in the heat of the moment during a live programme" at the end of a final eviction day. Davina will host the 11th - and final - series of Big Brother this summer.
