Big Brother's Leo Sayer quits over underpants

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By Matthew Jones

LONDON (Reuters) - Reality television show Big Brother suffered its third celebrity walk-out when singer Leo Sayer, a one-time favourite to win, quit on Friday because producers would not give him clean underpants.

"I’m leaving the House, guys, ’cos Big Brother won’t provide me with underwear," broadcaster Channel 4’s Web site quoted the singer as telling other housemates.

Sayer, who had a string of hits in the 1970s and won new fans with a recent remix of "Thunder in My Heart Again", grabbed a broom and forced his way out through one of the walls, Channel 4 said.

A spokeswoman for the show said producers had turned down Sayer’s request for clean underwear, suggesting he wash his own.

"He refused to do this and declined offers from other housemates to borrow some of their underwear," she said.

She said footage of the incident, which was broadcast via a webstream, will be included in daily highlights at some stage for terrestrial viewers.

His departure came only days after two other housemates -- veteran film director Ken Russell and Donny Tourette, lead singer of punk rock band Towers of London -- both decided they had had enough of the camera-filled house.

The fifth series of Celebrity Big Brother, which only started last week, has suffered from relatively .....continued below

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There has been criticism about the introduction to the show of Jade Goody, a one-time contestant on a previous non-celebrity version of the show, along with her boyfriend and her mother.

A couple of days ago, Sayer was seen by viewers asking for a copy of his contract and complaining about having to role-play as a butler towards Goody, boyfriend Jack Tweedy and Goody’s mother Jackiey Budden.

Goody, Tweedy and Budden were surprise entrants to the Big Brother House a couple of days after the latest series went to air and their arrival prompted Tourette and 79-year-old Russell to quit.

Before entering the house Sayer, almost as famous for his curly hair as for his hits like "When I Need You", told Channel 4 he had been looking forward to the show.

"I’ve no expectations. I’ve got an open mind and I live on my wits. It’ll be fun and challenging, like being trapped in a lift or being taken hostage," he said in a statement.

Following Sayer’s departure there are now only 10 contestants left in the house after Budden was evicted by public vote on Wednesday.