Anabolic steroid gossip has invaded the world of British television as a reality television star allegedly accused BBC television correspondent (and former boyfriend) of using steroids. Chantelle Houghton, a British glamour model and star of the Channel 4 reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother and Ultimate Big Brother, had been dating Rav Wilding, a correspondent for the BBC television shows Crimewatch and One Show, since December 2010. The relationship ended in April 2010 after Wilding was photographed screaming at a crying Houghton in a public park. Friends of Houghton told the press that steroids were responsible for the “roid rage” depicted in the photographs.
[N]ow it has been alleged that the Big Brother star claims Rav Wilding’s rage was caused by steroids.
A source close to Chantelle told MailOnline that the breakdown of their relationship was down to mood swings brought on by the drugs.
The friend told MailOnline: ‘Chantelle and Rav were having problems and just before he went to Norway she told him: “You need anger management you need to stop taking steroids.”‘
Rav Wilding “angrily” denied the allegations on Twitter claiming that the only steroids he used were corticosteroids prescribed by his doctor to treat asthma.
May 22, 2011 9:21 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite
Chantelle Houghton tried to distance herself from the steroid allegations attributed to her. She re-affirmed (on Twitter) that she has never given an interview since the end of her relationship with Wilding. However, Houghton did not explicitly deny the truth behind the allegations published by the press.
May 22, 2011 11:06 am via Twitter for BlackBerry®ReplyRetweetFavorite
British medical columnist Dr. Ellie Cannon suggested in her column that corticosteroids are not linked to aggression while choosing to focus on the negative side effects of anabolic steroids.
The side effects can be dreadful: acne, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, impotence-kidney and liver disease and, yes, aggressive behaviour.
Excessive testosterone levels are converted into oestrogen, so men can also grow breast tissue.
That isn’t to say steroid medicines prescribed by doctors don’t have side effects. But do they make people more aggressive? In the majority of cases, no.
The public often confuses the two types of steroids: cortico-steroids and anabolic-steroids. Dr. Cannon clearly intended to make a distinction between the two. However, in doing so, her characterization of the two types of drugs was misleading. Dr. Cannon understated the link between aggression and corticosteroids while overstating the link between aggression and anabolic steroids.
Corticosteroids are also linked to aggression and mood disturbances. While the link may be rare, it is certainly no less common than the occurrence of aggression while using anabolic steroids.
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