Ziggy speaks out about Chanelle split

Ziggy Lichman has admitted that he would not have dated Big Brother co-star Chanelle Hayes if he had met her in the outside world.

The couple had an on-off relationship in the house last summer and were an item for a few weeks after the show. They split in November and subsequently became embroiled in a war of words in the media.

Lichman, 26, told Metro that he would not have become involved with Hayes in different circumstances, saying: "Probably not, let's be honest. I was missing company and we helped each other on the show."

However, he insisted that the romance had not been a publicity stunt, telling the newspaper: "The whole thing was for real. We lived together straight after. The feelings were real, but I got to see a side of her that wasn’t for me. I knew it wasn’t going to work and I wasn’t right for her either."

He added that he had did not regret speaking out about the couple's relationship in the press, saying: "They were going to do a story from her side... so I decided to put across my side of the story. If she’d accused me of the things she was planning to say, there was a chance I could have been prosecuted.

"If a girl accuses a guy of being violent they’re under a lot of suspicion, if a girl is violent to a guy it’s brushed off. I wasn’t being wet when I said she was violent to me, I just wanted to make it clear it wasn’t plain sailing."