Evander Holyfield Whips Up A Storm Of Controversy Following On-Screen Homophobic Rant

Evander Holyfield entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Friday, 3 January, and his gentle giant demeanour made him one of the early favourites to take home the crown when the umpteenth season of the the reality show draws to an end. It took him mere hours to end all hopes of staying in the show until the end and simultaneously become one of the most publicly despised men in Britain.

See all the images from the CBB launch night

Holyfield caused outrage when, in what he assumed was a private discussion with The Apprentice runner-up Luisa Zissman, he revealed his personal opinion regarding same sex relationships, an opinion that doesn't exactly fit in with modern opinion. The 51-year-old former boxing champion shocked both Zissman and the nation with his off-hand remarks, in which he claimed "it ain't normal" being gay.

"I think it's really bad that no one stands up and says it in the sports industry," Zissman told Holyfield, who then gave his personal reason as to why he thinks homosexuals tend to remain closeted in sport. The ex-boxer, who famously lost part of his ear to Mike Tyson, who bit off part of the extremity during the infamous 1997 rematch for the WBA Heavyweight Championship, responded by asking "What would be good about it?"

"I think it's good to be open like that because it's normal," Zissman then replied, to which Holyfield said, "But that ain't normal."