Mickey Rourke flees the UK for LA after being axed from Celebrity Big Brother house
MICKEY Rourke has fled the UK for LA after being booted out of the Celebrity Big Brother house.
The star, 72, is keen to get back to the US after he was axed from the ITV show for using threatening language, as well as making an inappropriate sexual remark.
Mickey was pictured leaving the posh London hotel he was staying at after being booted off the show.
The under-fire star waved as he got into a car taking him to the airport.
He was dressed casually in a grey hoodie and jeans as he got ready to make his great escape.
A source has told The Sun: “Mickey is keen to get back to LA as soon as possible and didn’t want to hang around in the UK.”
‘ASHAMED’ STAR
Mickey admitted feeling “ashamed of himself” after squaring up to Love Island star Chris Hughes, 32, and being told to leave the house.
As revealed by The Sun, the pair were at loggerheads when tempers rose during a pirate task.
After Chris gave Mickey the side-eye, the Hollywood hellraiser told him: “Don’t eyeball me, you c***”.
He then threatened to knock him to the ground.
Danny Beard stepped in between the pair in an attempt to diffuse the situation, as he insisted: “He was joking. He was joking. He was joking.”
Later, Mickey was dragged into the diary room by Big Brother, who told him his language and behaviour was “seriously unacceptable”, and added: “As a result Big Brother has no option but to ask you to leave the Big Brother house.”
Mickey replied: “I blame myself, I know it was my bad. You know, I’ve got a short fuse and I know I upset a lot of people out there, you know. And I’m sorry for that.
“I’m actually ashamed of myself for getting that hot.
“I went over the line, you know, I did wrong. I guess, like they say, I’m a work in progress.
“I just wanna pack my bags and leave, you know. I wanted to leave yesterday actually but I wasn’t chosen.
FEE SLASHED
The Sun revealed ITV bosses slashed Mickey’s £500,000 show fee after he repeatedly caused chaos in the house.
Mickey, who won a Bafta and was Oscar-nominated for 2008 film The Wrestler, first came under fire when he directed offensive slurs at US singer JoJo Siwa, who is a lesbian.
He also reduced Patsy Palmer to tears by repeatedly criticising her cooking.
Then it was revealed Mickey had left Ella Rae Wise feeling “uneasy” when he made a comment towards her, which Big Brother described as inappropriate sexual language.
Mickey Rourke's Career Timeline
1970s: Early career
Mickey Rourke began his acting journey in 1971 after studying at the prestigious Actors Studio in New York, under the tutelage of Lee Strasberg. He appeared in minor roles in television shows and films to gain experience.
1978: Made his film debut with a small role in the Steven Spielberg-directed comedy-drama 1941.
1980s: Breakthrough and stardom
1981: Achieved recognition with his role as the arsonist Teddy Lewis in Body Heat, a neo-noir thriller starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner.
1982: Delivered a critically acclaimed performance in Barry Levinson’s Diner, showcasing his talent and earning attention as a rising star.
1983: Played a memorable role in Rumble Fish, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, alongside Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, and Dennis Hopper.
1986: Starred in 9½ Weeks, a provocative romantic drama opposite Kim Basinger. The film became a cult classic, cementing his status as a Hollywood leading man.
1987: Gave a standout performance in Angel Heart, a psychological thriller directed by Alan Parker, co-starring Robert De Niro and Lisa Bonet.
1990s: Career decline and transition to boxing
1991: Mickey shifted focus from acting to professional boxing, citing dissatisfaction with Hollywood and the roles he was being offered.
He competed in several matches and sustained injuries during his career in the ring leading which led to an addiction to plastic surgery.
Throughout the 1990s, Rourke’s film appearances were sporadic and mostly in lesser-known or poorly received productions.
2000s: Career comeback
2000: Returned to the screen in supporting roles, including in The Pledge, directed by Sean Penn, and Get Carter alongside Sylvester Stallone.
2005: Achieved a major career revival with his performance as Marv in Sin City, a visually striking neo-noir film directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller.
2008: Delivered an award-winning performance in The Wrestler, directed by Darren Aronofsky. Rourke played Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a washed-up professional wrestler seeking redemption. The role earned him a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
2010s: Continued success
2010: Portrayed the villain Ivan Vanko/Whiplash in Iron Man 2, starring alongside Robert Downey Jr.
2011: Appeared in Immortals, a fantasy-action film directed by Tarsem Singh.
Throughout the decade, Rourke continued acting in smaller films and projects, maintaining a presence in Hollywood while occasionally taking on eccentric or offbeat roles.