Absolutely, and they're only going on mat leave or leaving, they haven't died.

I really don't understand what's going on with Chloe and alcohol etc, so I don't know whether she genuinely found this difficult or not. Her ex has previously talked about her alcohol addiction, so she does seem to have a problem.

However, I find the idea that people shouldn't pay their respects unless they personally knew the deceased, quite bizarre. If someone I knew at work, or a friend, or neighbour I don't know very well, lost a loved one, then I would express my condolences for their loss. Isn't this normal behaviour?

I've noticed that.

Me too, but can i skip the memorial?

Because you didn't know him?

Do you have to know everyone personally to give a damn about their death?

Armistice Day and you're walking through Bluewater yacking on the phone at 11am, when someone shushes at you your response is "What? I didn't know any of them?"

When they have minute silences at sporting occasions 40,000 people don't refuse to join in because they didn't personally know those being mourned.

The point wasn't about knowing Austin's brother. It was about being there for a housemate who was upset and was away from his family on the day his brother died and wanted everyone to come together to raise a glass to him as he wasn't able to be with his loved ones.

Really struggle to understand people sometimes.

Austin could have explained he was upset about this far earlier in a calm and rational manner.

Chloe is a recovering alcoholic and had to do what is best for her. She explained she has good and bad days around alcohol and that's probably the most honest she has been in the house.

Neither was right or wrong in how they felt as both are emotive subjects.

Me neither.

Really going off Austin. Who does that American lout think he is talking to Chloe like that! No gentleman would speak like that to a lady, even if she was 100% in the wrong. He is so desperate to tell us about his personal tragedy. What has this to do with his housemates? I am sure they have all had heartache in their lives. What a narcissistic ****.

I agree. How on earth can people be expected to raise a toast to somebody they never even knew at all?
It's ridiculous.

And for the people who did raise a toast, what would that really mean to Austin? They didn't know him either.

It reminds me a little bit of that website posted on here a couple of weeks ago where you can pay about a tenner for a minor celebrity to send you a video saying nice things about you.
That's as much as what the housemate's toast amounted to. It didn't mean anything because it wasn't based on any semblance of reality.

It could only have been a bit worse if Austin demanded that they all made a speech about his brother saying what a peach of a guy he was.

Austin is an aggressive, idiot , demanding that a complete stranger should pay respect to his departed brother .
How about showing respect to a living person . He's being nasty, aggressive and totally out of order to Chloe since day 1 .

Can't abide the nasty little creep .

Austin was bang out of order berating her like that. She doesn't have to explain her reasons for not being present during his speech.

Austin thinks the world revolves around him. Chloe did not have to participate in the toast.

It was just gesture stuff from Austin. If people wanted to participate, fine, but he has no right to be angry with anyone who didnt, for whatever reason. He has no right over other people.

And yes, at 11am on Armistice Day, I just go about my business as normal. I resent enforced "remembrance".

Sadly the word we look for here is RESPECT whether you knew the guy or night.

I am sure his brother would have been so proud of him shouting at Chloe like that in commemoration of his memory,

They were both in the wrong, Chloe should have made some sort of effort to toast his brother but Austin should realise the world does not revolve around him. I agree Austin screams at the women in there too readily, he's a nasty piece of work as well as being a drama queeen. Watching him on the first night measuring up people and judging Farrah (who I dont like either) was enough for me. I really hope he doesnt win
He's used Gail's baldness and his brother's birthday for screen time, not cool.

Exactly, I could understand it if Chloe really was an alcoholic <yawn> or if she had made an effort to be away from alcohol throughout her stay but she is clearly a fraud and an attention seeker. It would have taken the tiniest bit of effort on her part to show some respect.

Agree with every word of this. How Austin has got away with his bitching and stirring (for the most part) on here is quite beyond me. It can ONLY be because he's male. It's the only logical explanation given the vitriol flung at women who behave like that.

Chloe is a neurotic mess and it's hard to tell what's real and what's not. None of that, however, explains or excuses Austin's aggressive disdain and lack of respect for HER.

This! However it worked out well for both of them as they got to move their respective narratives along and bagged some precious air-time.

I think they were both in the wrong - Chloe's excuse was poor considering she sits round the boozing most of the evening smoking, and even helps steal and hide booze for people! She may have had another reason at the time, or not realised how significant it was to him, but she's had enough time to come up with a decent excuse! Austin had a right to be upset imo but didn't express his point well and was very bitchy and unpleasant about it.


As pointed out, Armistice Day TV presenters, even footballers for some reason, must wear poppies out of respect or they get castigated. People (for some reason, beats me) toast the queen and she isn't even dead! Blimey at any major national or sporting event we have to sing a song about how wonderful and noble she is!

It wasn't necessarily the fact she did attend the makeshift memorial, it was that she used the excuse of not being able to be around alcohol, yet is than happily running to the fridge and taking alcohol on other occasions.

I thought he was wasting his energy, but I got his point.

i could understand if it was to mark 9/11
i didnt see any mention of that unless it wasnt shown

shes not close to him it just seemed attention seeking from austin.

he dosnt even like her so why does he care ?

I Would have expected Chloe to show her respect and some empathy after all when the task said she & Stevie couldn't show PDAs for 1 day she likened it to losing a loved one!!!

Ha ha ha! I wish she's said that to Austin.

I have to agree with this, yes. Very weird that anyone, not just Chloe should be forced into a memorial for someone they'd never even heard of or knew.