Leo's exit follows that of Ken Russell and Donny Tourette, who left voluntarily and escaped over the wall respectively. This new blow to the celebrity quota will whittle down the numbers in the house to 10 and with a live eviction scheduled for tonight, the celebrities are looking a little thin on the ground. Jade Goody's mother Jackiey was evicted on Wednesday night.
Leo, best known for 1970s hits such as 'When I Need You', has been complaining for days about BB's "unsanitary" house and has decided to leave of his own accord. Leo had been nominated by fellow housemates for eviction alongside Carole Malone and Dirk Benedict. The live show is due to take place tonight.
In a statement, Channel 4 said: "Big Brother can confirm that Leo has left the Celebrity Big Brother house. The housemates have been told that he will not be returning to the house. Leo's voting line has now been closed. Viewers can still vote to evict either Dirk or Carol in tonight's show."
The return of the show attracted 7.1m viewers when it aired but that figure has since dropped considerably to an average 4.4m. Figures are down by 100,000, comparable with 2006's series. Leo had been bookmaker William Hill's third favourite to win this series after favourite Cleo Rocos at 9/4 and Dirk Benedict at 9/2.
In an attempt to spice up this series, 'Celebrity Big Brother' producer Endemol invited back Jade Goody, who came fourth in 'Big Brother 3' in 2002, along with boyfriend Jack Tweedy and mother Jackiey Goody to be lords and ladies of the manor at the house alongside three other housemates, with the contestants being divided into masters and servants.
However, this move seems to have backfired and it looks like some back-up celebs may need to be found pretty quickly to ensure the fifth series, which is the longest to date, sustains itself.
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