Gary Goldsmith: How is Kate Middleton’s uncle even allowed on Celebrity Big Brother?

Women’s Aid have already spoken out about his behaviour


It’s taken Kate Middleton’s uncle Gary Goldsmith approximately 24 hours in the Celebrity Big Brother house to start waxing lyrical with Sharon Osbourne and Louis Walsh about the royal family. And everyone’s main question about Gary’s national television appearance is how is this even allowed? It feels like wearing breaking royal rules and hearing things we shouldn’t.

So, in case you’re confused about whether Gary is breaking some kind of Kensington Palace protocol by sauntering into the Celebrity Big Brother house, here’s everything you need to know:

So, what has Gary Goldsmith actually said about the royal family on Celebrity Big Brother so far?

Gary Goldsmith Kate Middleton

Credit: ITV

As Gary got comfortable in the Celebrity Big Brother house, he told Sharon and Louis he hadn’t met Meghan Markle but still had views on her: “I have an opinion that Harry was really, really really loved and when they were a threesome, so Kate, William and Harry they looked really comfortable together,” he said. “Then suddenly there’s an extra dynamic that comes in, puts a stick in the spokes and creates so much drama that I don’t genuinely think is there, and rewrote the history, saying how unhappy he was and I just don’t think that’s fair.

“I mean you can’t throw your family under the bus in such a dramatic style, then write books about it and expect to be invited round for Christmas,” he continued. “I think it’s really sad. At some point I think he is going to come back and be a part of the gang again. He might need to.”

And is Gary Goldsmith actually allowed to be on Celebrity Big Brother to talk about the royal family?

Gary Goldsmith Kate Middleton royal rules

Credit: ITV

Sources have claimed Carole and Michael Middleton have already “read the riot act” to Gary about his Celebrity Big Brother appearance and outlined what he can and cannot say on air.

“I’ve spoken to Carole just to send my love and we talked about Kate given what’s going on,” Gary told The Sun of Kate’s current surgery recovery. “There’s lots going on in the family moment. So she’s spinning a lot of plates right now, it’s quite stressful. The last thing I’m going to do is bring any stress to them.”

But, according to royal protocol, there’s nothing actually stopping Gary talking about the royal family and his relationship with Kate Middleton. He can, essentially, do whatever he wants. However, if he wants to maintain a good relationship with his relatives he might choose to be slightly elusive when cameras are rolling and dispelling the recent Kate rumours in detail.

Wait, and why have Women’s Aid released a statement about Gary Goldsmith entering the Big Brother house?

Gary Goldsmith Kate Middleton

Credit: ITV

Gary has openly referred to himself as the “black sheep” of the Middleton family. In 2017, he was arrested for punching his fourth wife, Julie-Ann Goldsmith, in the face outside their house in London after attending a charity event. He pled guilty to the charge and was given a 12-month community order and a £5,000 fine.

It was made clear during the trial Gary’s “left hook” had knocked his wife unconscious. During her victim impact statement, Julie-Ann also detailed how she’d suffered panic attacks as a consequence of the attack.

Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot concluded Gary was a “nasty drunk” who his wife had “accused of taking drugs and leaving her alone for most of the evening. You called her a nothing and [a] whore.”

When Gary entered the Celebrity Big Brother house, Women’s Aid condemned the decision in a statement, saying: “The decision to include a man who has been charged, and pleaded guilty to, assaulting his wife, in the Celebrity Big Brother house demonstrates the lack of awareness that the production team has when it comes to survivors of domestic abuse.

“The producers should consider how Gary Goldsmith’s appearance will impact women who have survived domestic abuse and how they will feel watching him on TV every night…The inclusion of men convicted of abuse in entertainment programmes will already be a sign that these crimes are not taken seriously the entertainment industry has to consider the impact on women of who they give a platform to and derive entertainment value from.”

Big Brother producers responded saying all contestants had undergone “training in language and behaviour” and would be “monitored at all times”.

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