[Omah]

http://www.thurrockgazette.co.uk/new...bullying__row/

FORMER Big Brother winner Brian Belo claims he quit a pantomime because he was being bullied.

The reality star, 24, from Ampers End, Basildon, was to appear as the genie in a production of Aladdin at the Thameside Theatre, Grays, until January 7.

But he left in mysterious circumstances last week, citing “personal reasons”, although the Gazette has now learnt he made allegations of bullying to production staff.

His mum Sue, 57, said her son had been reduced to tears after his house keys, script and costume were repeatedly hidden in his dressing room.

However, the production team found no evidence of bullying after carrying out their own investigation and tried to get Brian to change his mind.

Panto co-star and former EastEnders actor Dean Gaffney, who is good friends with Brian, is understood to have sent him a text urging him to come back, but with no success.

Sue said: “He won’t be going back. This isn’t like Brian, as he is quite happy-go-lucky, but this really hurt his feelings.

“I had to change the lock on the door of our house after his keys disappeared, because we were worried about getting broken into, but they turned up the next day.

“He was getting so frustrated and in the end he had to quit. Before he started, he was so excited because the producer said he was a natural. He is really disappointed by the way things turned out.”

Brian, who was the Big Brother TV show winner in 2007, has been advised by his agent not to speak personally about the allegations.

He maintains things were done to him to put him off performing.

It’s emerged Brian refused to go back, despite a late-night visit to his house by the show’s producer Darren Maddison, who also carried out the investigation into his bullying allegations.

Mr Maddison said: “The allegations were thoroughly investigated with sensitivity by the production company and were found to be unfounded.”

Brian has been replaced in the panto by Craig Phillips, who won the first series of Big Brother.

"mysterious circumstances" .....