The BBC has responded after Blackburn celebrity AJ Odudu was accused of ‘breaching the BBC’s advertising guidelines’.

The 36-year-old appeared on Michael McIntyre's Big Show at the weekend (February 10) where she took part in Send To All, a segment on the show where a text is sent to everyone in a celebrity’s phone book.

AJ, who has worked with Google in the past to promote their Pixel phone, seemed to 'promote' her phone.

Fans took to social media to accuse AJ for ‘subliminal advertising’, which is prohibited in the BBC.

The BBC has maintained that AJ is no longer under contract to promote the phone.

On the show Michael asked: “How’s your screen time?”

AJ said: “I wouldn’t say I was addicted to it but I do like it. I mean it’s in my handbag now.”

“It’s not an iPhone though is it?,” Michael asked.

AJ said: “It’s a Google Pixel. With iPhones every time I dropped them the screen would smash. Five times in one week I dropped my phone and smashed it. I thought I can’t have this and that I needed a studier screen.

“So it’s sturdiness? Basically you are looking for the most northern phone you can find," Michael said.

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, one viewer said: “AJ Odudu’s reason for having a Google Pixel instead of an iPhone on Michael McIntyre’s Big Show: she used to have iPhones but the screens kept breaking, once five times in a week.

“Nothing to do with Google paying her to advertise the Pixel?”

Another said: “Goes on to say how much stronger the screen is compared to an iPhone. AJ does a television commercial for the Google Pixel phone.

“This is on the BBC. What’s all that about?”

Others jumped to the defence of AJ and said: “I'm with AJ. I love my Google Pixel. I would not have any other phone.”

The BBC has since responded and said AJ is no longer under contract to promote the phone

A BBC spokesperson said: “Ahead of broadcast of the programme, it was confirmed to the BBC that AJ Odudu was no longer under contract to promote any smartphone related organisations.”

You can watch Michael McIntyre's Big Show on BBC iPlayer.