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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Entertainment
Ross Millen & Zoe Delaney

I'm A Celebrity's Arlene Phillips sparks outrage among fans with 'shocking' comment about illness

I'm a Celebrity... fans have been angered by what they have described as a 'shocking' comment by Arlene Phillips.

Dame Arlene Phillips is one of the contestants aiming to become either the next King or Queen of the Castle.

But it seems she's not won the public's full support and some have been left dismayed by her latest comments.

During the opening episode on Sunday, many fans watching thought the Strictly Come Dancing judge's choice of words was poor after she "confessed" she likes to clean and was "OCD about everything".

READ MORE: I'm A Celebrity's Frankie Bridge early favourite to be crowned winner

"I cannot live with dirt," she told viewers.

"I am completely OCD about everything in my life being organised, clean, neat and tidy."

Those watching at home weren't too impressed with Arlene's flippant reference to a serious mental illness, the Mirror reports.

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One person said on Twitter: "No, Arlene, you are not 'OCD' about cleaning. OCD is a terrifying, life-changing illness and we need people to stop throwing the term around #ImACeleb."

Another wrote: "This is a terrible thing to hear, I certainly won’t be supporting Arlene this year.

"As a fellow sufferer, this sort of thing maddens me. How dare ITV put that out on their programmes. Being clean and neat and tidy is NOT the same as having OCD."

A third commented: "Shocked but not surprised that ITV aired what Arlene Phillips said about being OCD because she’s organised and can’t live with dirt. Do better ITV."

And another frustrated viewer wrote: "Call yourself a mental health advocate? Well then, please take the time to complain to Ofcom about the use of the acronym 'OCD' on last night's #ImACeleb.

"OCD is not a personality quirk or an adjective, it takes lives."

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours, according to the NHS website.

OCD can be distressing and significantly interfere with your life, but treatment can help you keep it under control.

Arlene has never publicly spoken about being diagnosed with the condition, and many I'm A Celeb viewers took issue with ITV not removing the offending comments from the pre-recorded segments.

"Not for the first time ITV have left an unhelpful and inappropriate reference to OCD in an #ImACeleb episode," charity OCD UK wrote.

"Pre-recorded so could easily have been edited out so not to add to misconceptions/stigma."

"Very disappointing to hear a contestant use ‘OCD’ as an adjective because they like things clean. Even more disappointed in ITV for not editing it out," another person added.

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