Row rages over Big Brother contestant not informed of father's death

The brother of a Big Brother contestant who is unaware that her father has died has defended his family's decision not to inform her.

Personal trainer Emma Cornell, 24, is competing in the Australian version of the fly-on-the-wall reality TV programme which began a month ago.

Contestants in a purpose-built house on the Gold Coast, in Queensland state, are kept isolated from events happening in the world.

Miss Cornell does not know that her father, Raymond Cornell, died of cancer in a hospice on Wednesday last week, aged 53, and was buried in the southern city of Adelaide on Monday.

Her brother, Matt Cornell, said his father "made us promise him that no-one would notify Emma of his death".

In an open letter to the public on the Big Brother website, he said: "Emma was aware of the possibility that our dad's impending death may occur whilst she was in the Big Brother production.

"Our dad had been ill for a considerable amount of time and wasn't taken from us suddenly; the family did have time to prepare themselves.

"We reassured Emma that, in the event that this did happen, grieving our dad's death when she was released from Big Brother would be no less meaningful or significant than when he actually passed away."

Mr Cornell also said his family were "stunned" by the reaction of people who "have based their opinions on a total lack of knowledge of our family's internal workings".

However, Australian Centre for Grief and Bereavement director Chris Hall said Miss Cornell was entitled to know of her loss.

"To withhold this information is a breach of trust," he said.

"She should be told as soon as possible in a private and sensitive way, and be given choices how she deals with that information."

The Sydney woman's boyfriend, Tim Stanton, told the city's Daily Telegraph newspaper that Miss Cornell knew her father was gravely ill, but his death would shock her because he was not expected to die so soon.

A spokesman for the programme's producer, Endemol Southern Star, said: "We're abiding by her family's wishes in not informing her."

A statement on the show's website said: "Big Brother is aware of and understands many of the concerns the public has expressed upon learning the sad news of Housemate Emma's father's death."

But it added that "this week's media speculation is mostly uninformed, inaccurate and the cause of much distress to Emma's family".

The British version of the TV show is also currently mired in controversy.

Channel 4 is facing accusations of a cover-up over the Celebrity Big Brother race row today as Ofcom ordered the broadcaster to apologise publicly for mishandling the affair.