Roxanne Pallett's life 5 years after 'punchgate' - from US move to quitting fame (2024)

Roxanne Pallett, once known for her role as Jo Stiles in Emmerdale, had a successful career with several award nominations before she entered the Big Brother house but everything changed after a scandal during her 2018 Celebrity Big Brother appearance.

The former soap star's career took a hit when she falsely 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, telling others she was scared he might hurt her.

However security footage later showed there was no assault, and it was clear that Roxanne was not telling the truth about Ryan, the Mirror reports.

Big Brother viewers turned against Roxanne, but Ryan didn't know how the public saw him during the ordeal, as he was cut off from the outside world.

He was often seen crying in the house and only felt reassured when the public started chanting "Get Roxanne out! " on eviction night.

Roxanne's actions led to over 25,000 Ofcom complaints. She later said sorry on air, admitting she made a "terrible mistake" during a tense interview with Big Brother host Emma Willis at the time.

Roxanne then stepped back from the spotlight, but what is she doing now?

New life in America

A year after her spot on Big Brother, Roxanne Pallett disclosed to the Jeremy Vine Show in 2019 that she'd thought about taking her own life following the heated incident.

When questioned by host Jeremy Vine about contemplating suicide, Roxanne confessed: "Yes."

She stated, visibly shocked: "Looking back at those clips it's awful. It was a really awful time for a lot of people,".

Roxanne indicated that she has developed considerably since then, observing: "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."

A year after Big Brother, Roxanne asserted that the experience had taught her some valuable lessons.

Firmly, she told Jeremy: "I never want be that person again. I never want to react like a situation like that."

Following the controversy on Big Brother, Roxanne relocated to America where she met and fell in love with brave New York firefighter Jason Carrion, who had also appeared on the television show Married at First Sight.

The pair got engaged in 2019 and two months later, in January 2020, they tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony in a New York church.

Roxanne shared a lovely photo from their wedding day on the internet.

She 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."

A year after marrying Jason, Roxanne became pregnant and they welcomed a baby boy in 2021.

They have a joint Instagram account (@lovethecarrions), full of pictures from their wedding day, but it hasn't been updated since 2020, suggesting Roxanne isn't planning a return to the limelight.

Roxanne 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."

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Ryan's sympathy

Celebrity Big Brother winner Ryan Thomas confessed that he feels sorry for Roxanne Pallett in October 2023, five years after the infamous 'punchgate'.

Ryan spoke about how the incident affected him and shared a heartfelt message from his brother Scott, who commended him for showing his "best qualities" during such a challenging time.

Scott tried to make him feel better by saying, "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 started to question himself on Big Brother when other housemates were against him.

But a letter from his younger brother Scott Thomas helped him feel stronger.

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 confessed that he didn't know he had the nation's support until eviction night. He remembered hearing the crowd outside call for "get Roxanne out".

The star stated: "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."

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