Roxanne Pallett’s life five years after CBB ‘punchgate’ – moving to US and quitting showbiz
Roxanne Pallett's career was left in tatters after she falsely accused Ryan Thomas of punching her during their time on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018 - but what is she up to now?
Roxanne Pallett, known for her role as Jo Stiles in Emmerdale, had a thriving career and several award nominations before she entered the Big Brother house.
But everything changed after a scandal during her 2018 Celebrity Big Brother stint. The former soap star’s career was left in ruins after she wrongly accused fellow housemate Ryan Thomas of punching her on the Channel 5 show.
Roxanne didn’t want to sleep in the same room as Coronation Street star Ryan, claiming she was afraid he might harm her. However, security footage showed no assault took place, revealing that Roxanne was distorting the truth about Ryan.
Big Brother viewers turned against Roxanne, but Ryan was unaware of public opinion as he was cut off from the outside world. He was often seen crying in the house and only found comfort when the public started chanting “Get Roxanne out! ” on eviction night.
Roxanne’s actions resulted in over 25,000 Ofcom complaints. She later apologised on air, admitting she made a “terrible mistake” during a tense interview with then Big Brother host Emma Willis.
Roxanne then stepped back from the limelight, but what is she doing now?
Addressing punchgate
A year after her stint on Big Brother, Roxanne Pallett confessed to the Jeremy Vine Show in 2019 that she had thought about ending her life following the scandal. When asked by host Jeremy Vine if she had considered suicide, Roxanne admitted: “Yes.”
“Looking back at those clips it’s awful. It was a really awful time for a lot of people,” she said, clearly shocked.
Reflecting on how much she has grown since then, she stated: “It’s only now that I watch those back that I realise how far I’ve come and what a bad place I was in.”
New life in America
After stepping away from the limelight, Roxanne revealed a year after her Big Brother appearance that she had learned something from the experience. She told Jeremy firmly: “I never want be that person again. I never want to react like a situation like that.”
Following the Big Brother controversy, Roxanne moved to America. There, she met Jason Carrion, a brave New York firefighter who had also appeared on the TV show Married at First Sight, reports The Mirror Online
The pair fell head over heels in love and got engaged in 2019. Just two months later, they tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in January 2020 at a church in New York.
Roxanne shared a lovely photo from her wedding day and said: “There’s an old saying that difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations. Well, it was worth every broken step that got me here and I thank God every moment that out of everyone in the whole world, I was led to you. You are my safest place and my greatest adventure. Thank you for choosing me. On our wedding day we celebrated our commitment to one another. A day I’ll truly remember as perfect in every way.”
After marrying Jason, Roxanne had a baby boy in 2021. They have an Instagram (@lovethecarrions) with lots of wedding photos, but they haven’t posted since 2020.
This might mean Roxanne doesn’t want to be famous anymore. She once told Closer magazine: “I think taking a step away from showbiz has been the biggest saving grace for me as it’s brought better people into my life and given me a healthier perspective on what’s important.”
Ryan Thomas ‘feels sorry’ for her
Ryan Thomas, who won Celebrity Big Brother, said he feels sorry for Roxanne Pallett in October 2023. This was five years after a big fuss when Roxanne said Ryan punched her.
Ryan talked about how this affected him and shared kind words from his brother Scott, who said Ryan showed his best side during a tough time.
Scott told him: “As bad as it was, it was actually the best thing that could have happened to you because it showed off your kind heart, your understanding, your calmness.”
Ryan then said: “You can’t hide from who you really are in a show like that, it’s so weird to say this but I actually feel sorry for her because when you’re in a show like that, and everything’s highlighted and it’s public, it can be quite a lonely place and it can be quite a scary place when you put in that situation, so, we move on.”
On a podcast, Ryan talked about how he began to question himself on Big Brother when others turned on him. But a letter from his mate Scott Thomas helped him feel strong again.
Scott shared: “I’m getting emotional. The maddest thing was for us watching it was that you were kind of oblivious to what was going on and you were in this house, questioning yourself and I remember when you broke down and it killed me because it was like, the whole nation was on your side and had your back.”
Ryan said he didn’t know people were on his side until the eviction night. He remembered hearing folks outside shouting “get Roxanne out”.
Ryan also said: “I just released because I knew it wasn’t about me, I knew it was about her, but when you’re in there, it’s one of the most lonely places that you can ever go to because you don’t know these people from day one, you’re building a relationship with people that you’ve never really met before.”