The roots of Jim Davidson and Linda Nolan's long-running feud - which culminated in a huge row in the Celebrity Big Brother house - have been revealed, after it emerged that Jim allegedly threatened to beat up the singer's late husband.
The comedian was said to be furious after learning that Brian Hudson had been caught stealing money from the dressing room of Frank Carson - one of his best friends - while he was working in Blackpool, and according to The Sun, swore revenge.
"Jim blew his top when Linda’s husband was caught," a source told the paper.
"He was playing up the road and he came down and went ballistic. He got right up to him and wanted to beat him up. He was yelling, 'No one steals from my mates'.
"Linda and others got the two apart then Linda had him thrown out. Jim was not happy as he was used to going where he pleased in Blackpool. I don’t think he’s ever got over it."
Things came to a head between the pair after a row shown on Thursday night's show in which Jim made reference to 'Frank Carson's dressing room'.
The incident sparked mass speculation among viewers, especially on Twitter where the '#frankcarsonsdressingroom' hashtag was trending heavily during the show.
Linda explained the situation to Lee Ryan on Friday, telling him: "Money went missing and my Brian was accused. He went to court for it and he pleaded guilty."
An insider told The Sun that Brian was discovered after he was filmed taking money from Carson's wallet during the incident, which occurred in 1995.
'Secret cameras were installed and they caught Linda’s husband red-handed. It was highly embarrassing for Linda. He never explained why he had done it.'
Brian Hudson died of liver failure in 2008, while Frank Carson passed away in 2012.
Friday's instalment of Celebrity Big Brother also saw veteran entertainer Lionel Blair become the third person to be evicted from the house.
