Oviya is leaving the Tamil version of Bigg Boss after declaring that she was undergoing mental stress and could not deal with her feelings for a fellow contestant.

In Saturday’s episode, the 26-year-old model and actor declared that she was in love with Arav. According to The News Minute, she consulted the Bigg Boss psychiatrist thrice. The Tamil reality show is being aired on Vijay TV and is hosted by Kamal Haasan.

“Finally, Kamal invited Oviya to the stage,” The News Minute said in its episode report. “She was given a rapturous welcome by the audience, hailed as a ‘mass entry’ on social media. Kamal said that she’d made the right decision to walk out of the show when she did.”

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According to The News Minute report, “Asked if she wanted to say something to the housemates, Oviya said, “I love you, Arav!” Though many from the audience protested, Oviya persisted in her declarations.”

The Tamil Bigg Boss has courted controversy right from the beginning. A public interest litigation filed in the Madras High Court demanded that the show be banned because “The dress code and behaviour of female contestants are very obscene and it makes my family members and myself uncomfortable to watch it”. Other criticisms hurled at the show include casteist slurs and the denigration of Tamil culture.

The Tamil version follows in the footsteps of the original British show and iterations in Hindi and Telugu. Fifteen men and women have been locked inside a house since June 25 and are constantly being filmed by cameras.

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Oviya emerged as one of the most popular contestants for her spirited defence against attacks by other contestants. In one of the show’s meme-producing moments, Oviya politely but firmly told another inmate, “Neenga Shut Up Pannunga” (Please shut up).

Oviya’s resolve seems to have cracked in recent episodes – she reportedly jumped into a pool in what was seen as a suicide attempt.

The online fanbase “Oviya Army” is predictably devastated.