Biggest Loser contestant charged
The Biggest Loser has been rocked by a child porn scandal after a Brisbane contestant was charged with possessing child pornography.
Deryck James Ward was set to appear on the reality show with his 29-year-old sister but both have been edited out as a result of the charges, the Courier Mail reports.
Ward, 26, was charged by Queensland police on January 16 in relation to material allegedly found at his home.
According to the Courier Mail, Network Ten and production company FremantleMedia Australia only heard of the charges last week.
Ten announced yesterday the fifth series of The Biggest Loser would follow the journey of nine couples instead of the original 10.
"Given the seriousness of these charges and that this matter is to be resolved in the courts, the network decided it will not broadcast any episode in which Mr Ward would have appeared," a Ten spokeswoman said yesterday.
"We believe this is in every party's interest, including Mr Ward's."
Ward and his sister had both been eliminated from the show before any charges were laid - they were the second couple to be eliminated.
The new season of The Biggest Loser will premiere on Sunday night.
Former swimmer Hayley Lewis is the new host of the series, replacing Ajay Rochester.
Ward will face one count of possessing child exploitation material in court on March 8.
He's also been charged with one count of using the internet to access images of child exploitation.
