Mickey Rourke is set to join the Celebrity Big Brother house next week and the Hollywood A-lister is no stranger to violent clashes both on and off screen
News Liam McInerney 13:54, 04 Apr 2025
Mickey Rourke is reportedly set to take a slot in the Celebrity Big Brother house, becoming one of the most renowned figures to ever grace the long-standing reality series since its inception in 2001.
The star-studded actor, known for his Oscar-nominated work and eventful life both on screen and off, is aged 72 and ready to stir the CBB pot.
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A source told The Sun: "It's hard to think of a Big Brother booking as big as Mickey Rourke since the show began. Sharon Osbourne was an impressive name last series but a Hollywood icon of Mickey's standing brings a huge amount of clout.
"The tales that man has to tell will no doubt be legendary and bosses hope it could replicate the success of Sharon last year, who was very loose-lipped when it came to dishing the dirt on famous faces."
Despite hailing from New York, Mickey isn't entirely detached from British culture, especially with his insights into the football hooliganism scene, historically known as the 'English disease' during the '70s and '80s.
These insights are suggested in the memoir of former East End gangster Danny Woollard titled Wild Cats. He references a boxing match where actor Gene Hackman and Mickey purportedly witnessed mayhem instigated by football fans.
The event, dominated by the infamous bouncer and underground boxer Lenny McClean - dubbed 'Britain's hardest man' - also saw, according to Woollard, a member of West Ham's Inter City Firm (ICF) being knocked out cold amidst the crowd at Woodford Football Club.
In his memoir, Danny remembers the incident: "Lenny Mclean and a few very large black men started to give this drunken youth a kicking. Barry Dalton and Billy Williams stopped it.
"Bill dragged this young man out, but unbeknown to anyone, 'The Bomb' set about this chap and gave him a proper hiding."
Billy is noted for his past as a heavyweight boxer with a connection to Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali's one-time trainer.
Danny describes the origins of the conflict, stating that it began when an intoxicated patron interfered with a boxer in the ring by grabbing his shorts.
After regaining consciousness, the young man reportedly called for backup from his football hooligan friends, according to Danny's account.
He then details the ensuing chaos: "They all came, motor-loads of them, tooled up and looking for revenge.
"Roy Shaw, McLean, Williams, Carrington, Mickey Rourke and all the actors ran like scared rabbits to the club house, Woody's, and locked themselves safely away. The Inter City Firm smashed the place to pieces."
Mickey, the Hollywood actor known for his love of boxing, made headlines in 2014 when he won an exhibition match against Elliot Seymour in Moscow at the age of 62.
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Fans may get further insights into Mickey's eventful life as he is set to appear on CBB next week, alongside other celebrities such as Coronation Street's Jack P. Shepherd, singer Chesney Hawkes, and Love Island star Chris Hughes.
