I was naive about BB - Greer

Feminist icon Germaine Greer has admitted that going on Big Brother was “a mistake”.

The contestant quit just five days after taking the academic world by surprise by joining the Channel 4 show.

The author blamed her decision to leave on the fact that she was not as worldly as the others.

She said she had nothing to gain by joining Celebrity Big Brother.

She said: “I was a little naive. I didn’t realise agendas.

“Caprice is here to raise awareness of her lingerie. Brigitte is a professional reality TV person.

“Kenzie wants to raise the profile of his band. John probably needs the money.

“I had no idea who would be in here and it’s wrong for me to present myself in the same context as they are.

“I’m 65 and you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”

She added: “I’ve made a mistake, it’s called cutting your losses.”

The Australian-born critic told Big Brother in the diary room: “I don’t need the money badly enough, the rainforest will be fine – I’ll save it in other ways.”

Brigitte’s former mother-in-law Jackie attempted to persuade her to stay, but she was having none of it.

While the other stunned housemates questioned her decision to go she was resolute, saying: “I’m leaving over specific issues, but best for everyone if I don’t discuss them.

“I have a problem with decisions, I make them fast and when I make them, I stick to them.”

Germaine’s decision to join the show was greeted with shock and derision by some of her contemporaries.

She once said watching Big Brother was “about as dignified as looking through the keyhole in your teenage child’s bedroom door”.

Her battle with Brigitte over who runs the Big Brother kitchen has been an unlikely sight.

She was more to form when she attempted to persuade the housemates to launch a naked rebellion against Big Brother.

The author of the hugely influential book The Female Eunuch is not the first star to quit a reality show.

Brian Harvey, Sex Pistol John Lydon and former EastEnders actress Danniella Westbrook all quit I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here.

Magician Paul Daniels and former footballer Stan Collymore left Five’s The Farm.

Coronation Street star Amanda Barrie, athlete Dwain Chambers and DJ Tommy Vance walked out of Hell’s Kitchen.

Big Brother 3 housemates Sunita Sharma and Sandy Cumming also threw in the towel.

Germaine’s chosen charity was dedicated to saving Britain’s rarest slugs, snails and spiders.

Since the publication of The Female Eunuch in 1960, the author has remained in the headlines.

Most recently she provoked controversy by confessing that she loved looking at pictures of “ravishing” young boys – she had just published a book called The Boy.

In 1994, after inviting people to stay at her farmhouse, her private life was exposed by a tabloid reporter who posed as a tramp.

In 2000, she was also splashed across the news pages after being held hostage by a teenage student in her home.