British mobile phone retailer, Carphone Warehouse, on Thursday pulled its sponsorship of the UK’s controversial Celebrity Big Brother reality TV show, following heavy criticism over alleged racism.

Rumours that the company would end its relationship with Channel 4 have been circulating online since Tuesday but even this morning Carphone was denying plans to sever ties with the programme.

At the time of publishing, Carphone’s logo was still splashed across the Big Brother homepage, although Channel 4 is reportedly under orders to pull the banners down.

Carphone has sponsored Big Brother and its spin-off Celebrity version for more than three years. This year, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has been centre of attention following a stream of abuse from other contestants in the Big Brother House.

“There is always a separation between the producers of a programme and its sponsors,” a Carphone spokesperson said.

Media watchdog Ofcom has received a record number of complaints about this year’s show.