Inside the most controversial moment in Big Brother history: Ex-housemate Camilla Severi breaks her silence on the ‘turkey slap’ incident in a rare interview
Former Big Brother housemate Camilla Severi has broken her silence on the show’s controversial ‘turkey slap’ incident from 2006.
In an exceptionally rare interview on Sunday, the now-36-year-old said her ‘feelings’ about the incident had changed ‘a few times’ over the years.
Camilla, who retreated from the spotlight after Big Brother, was involved in the scandal with co-stars Michael ‘Ashley’ Cox and Michael ‘John’ Bric, who were kicked off the program as a result.
Rare interview: Former Big Brother star Camilla Severi broke her silence on the controversial ‘turkey slap’ incident this week. The incident took place on the show back in 2006
A ‘turkey slap’ is slang for when a man rubs his crotch in someone’s face.
Camilla told The Ben, Rob & Robbo Show that she couldn’t believe the media attention the incident received at the time.
She also revealed it had happened in the early hours of the morning after the contestants had had a few drinks and were sleep deprived.
‘It was really a moment in time,’ Camilla said, adding that the men involved didn’t mean her any harm.
‘We were all mucking around’: Camilla said that she couldn’t believe the media attention the incident received at the time and said it happened in the early hours of the morning when they were sleep deprived and after having had a few drinks
‘We were all mucking around and I’ve said this before, if it happened at a party and someone did that to me I’d probably say to them, “Hey that wasn’t cool” and then we’d move on,’ Camilla said.
‘But because it happened on live TV and it’s been dissected so, so many times from different angles it was quite a confusing experience and I don’t know how the boys feel about it now. But where I’m at now with it is I feel like yes, it was, the boys didn’t mean any harm to me.’
She added: ‘They didn’t mean to hurt me and I actually didn’t mean to hurt them if I was upset the day afterwards.’
Looking back: While Camilla said that the boys didn’t mean to hurt her, she said she ‘didn’t ask for that to happen’ (pictured on the show)
She went on to sat the she isn’t ‘scarred’ by the incident, but is scarred from the ‘constant attention’ it still receives.
‘There’s so much other stuff that’s going on in my life and this was like such a blip on the radar,’ she said.
The incident occurred on July 1, 2006, and was live streamed on the Big Brother website. At the time, police investigated but no charges were laid.
Making headlines: The incident occurred on July 1, 2006, and was live streamed on the Big Brother website. At the time, police investigated but no charges were laid. Bric is pictured left and Cox, right
The incident caused such an uproar that then Prime Minister John Howard even spoke about it, telling Macquarie Radio: ‘Well here’s a great opportunity for Channel Ten to do a bit of self-regulation and get this stupid program off the air.’
As reported by News.com.au in 2009, Cox reportedly told Zoo Weekly magazine that the incident ‘ruined his life.’
‘It ruined my life,’ Cox said.
He added: ‘The hardest part was having no support from anyone.’
Controversial: The incident caused such an uproar that then Prime Minister John Howard even spoke about it