Image copyright Reuters

Channel 5 has removed Celebrity Big Brother contestant Rodrigo Alves from the house, according to the show's Twitter feed.

It comes just four days after more than 1,000 complaints were made to Ofcom over his use of the N-word during a conversation with another housemate.

The broadcaster says that after a "further incident", Alves has left the programme and will not be returning.

Details of what happened and why he was removed are not yet known.

Some viewers suggested he should have been removed from the show immediately after using the highly offensive racial term.

Instead, producers gave him a "final warning" and said if he repeated the language he would be evicted from the house.

Channel 5 has been approached for further comment, but declined.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Rodrigo Alves entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on August 16th

Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Alves describes himself as a TV personality and showman.

Known as The Human Ken Doll, he has admitted to undergoing 62 plastic surgeries, including 10 nose jobs, a face and eye lift, jaw re-shaping and four ribs removed "to look better when I'm wearing a blazer".

He is a regular on red carpets and has more than 700,000 followers on Instagram, where he is often seen on beaches, partying on yachts and flaunting his collection of corsets.

'A year without Big Brother'

The show's latest controversy comes one day after the boss of Channel 5 appeared to confirm the show is taking a break.

Controller Ben Frow, speaking at the Edinburgh International TV Festival, said: "I'm planning for a year without Big Brother."

It's not clear whether he was referring to both the celebrity and non-celebrity version of the show.

The broadcaster's deal to air the programme ends this year. Former winner Brian Belo agrees it is time for the format to have a rest.

Channel 5 hasn't formally announced plans for Big Brother's future, but Ben Frow did last year hint it might end.

He said he'd be "much happier with a channel that did not have Big Brother on it".

The programme was axed by Channel 4 in 2009 and bought by Channel 5 in 2011.

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