Claire King has been forced to leave the Celebrity Big Brother house because of a mystery illness.

The former Emmerdale actress had been popular in the house, but after she fell ill and had to leave to seek medical attention, the programme's makers said they were unsure whether she would be back.

According to the Daily Mirror, Claire had complained of feeling sick and was taken out of the house and to a nearby hospital to see doctors.

She had previously said of the possibility of being voted out of the programme: "It's a win-win though as you can go home and eat steak."

A Channel 5 spokesperson said of her leaving for hospital: "Due to ill health Claire has had to leave the Big Brother house to receive medical attention."

In January's Celebrity Big Brother, Sam Faiers was taken out of the house to go to hospital after a mystery illness, later diagnosed as Crohn's Disease, but returned to the house.

In the last series of Big Brother, Kimberly Kisselovich had to leave the house for hospital tests and didn't come back. The tests were inconclusive but it was later reported that she had had an ectopic pregnancy.