HE MIGHT have hoped for a bit of a relaxing break following the busy pantomime season – but Keith Chegwin has instead found himself in the most explosive and controversial Celebrity Big Brother series ever.

Keith entered the Channel 5 reality show on January 7, just days after he finished performing in the Gazette-sponsored Christmas pantomime, Cinderella, at The Anvil, in Basingstoke.

But less than a week into the programme, two of his fellow contestants have already been booted out of the house for bad behaviour.

Former Baywatch actor Jeremy Jackson was giving the marching orders following an incident with model Chloe Goodman, and has since been cautioned by police for common assault.

And on Monday night viewers saw actor Ken Morley removed from the show following complaints to Ofcom about racist and sexist language.

The former Coronation Street actor was seen chatting to Keith on Monday night’s show – and during the conversation he used an offensive word which Big Brother had already warned him not to repeat.

Shortly after, he was called into the Diary Room and told to leave for his continued use of offensive language.

In contrast to the controversial characters, popular 57-year-old Keith, from Ashmansworth, has so far come across well on the show.

He was described as a “national treasure” by fellow housemate Nadia Sawalha, after celebrity blogger Perez Hilton suggested Keith wanted to win.

Nadia told Perez he was “so wrong”, adding: “You haven’t grown up with him. You don’t know him like we know him. I swear to God, what you see is what you get.”

Keith selected Perez in face-to-face nominations, after becoming annoyed that the American kept sitting on the kitchen worktops.

Father-of-two Keith, who may celebrate his 58th birthday in the house on Saturday, was seen in Monday night’s show recording a song in a shopping task, which was written by housemates Kavana and Alexander O’Neal.

When Keith entered the house, he was rated as the second most likely candidate to win, behind Nadia, but a week into the show, Paddy Power are giving odds of 4/1 on Keith as the favourite.

Keith has been heard chatting frankly and honestly with fellow housemates about his former alcohol addiction.

He said: “I used to drink two bottles of whisky a day. I couldn’t function. A drunk comes down in the morning and goes ‘dreadful hangover’. An alcoholic goes ‘morning, how are you?’ then tries to fill in the blanks.”

He explained that he hid alcohol around the house, but eventually managed to overcome his addiction with help from Alcoholics Anonymous.