Big Brother contestant faces sack

Penny: Big Brother contestant

LONDON, England -- A contestant in the UK's Big Brother household may be sacked from her teaching job after her boss warned against any "lewd" behaviour.

English teacher Penny -- real name Lisa Ellis -- caused a storm by appearing nude in front of the cameras when her towel slipped as she stepped out of the shower.

Ms Ellis' headmistress, Cauthar Tooley, from the Sarah Bonnell School in Stratford, east London, warned that "if she chooses to behave in a lewd manner she will have made the choice to leave the school."

Contestants are under 24-hour surveillance in the TV game show and Penny's antics have made the early headlines.

She has already been seen kissing fellow house mate Paul as they sunbathed together in the garden.

"I haven't seen this display of nudity myself, I have only heard about it," Ms Tooley told the Press Association.

"I need to find out what has happened. I understand that it was an accident and the towel slipped," she added.

Ms Ellis' best friend Charlotte Price said she feared for Penny's career. "We told her she had to be careful not to go over the top. She can do some pretty crazy things at times."

Ms Tooley said: "There's a code of conduct which she has been made aware of and should she infringe that she is risking her job and the right to return to school.

"When she's finished the Big Brother project she will report to me to report for duty. At that stage I will have made a decision in consultation with the school governors and the local education authority legal team … about her position at the school," she added.

Ms Tooley revealed it had been a difficult decision to allow Ms Ellis unpaid leave for "an optional amount of time" to participate in the Big Brother project.

"When she asked I let her go as part of her own professional development," she said. "I have to make sure that the profile of the school and its ability to provide positive role models for my girls is maintained."

But she paid tribute to Ms Ellis's merits as a teacher, saying "she is a very hard working person who … spends weekends, lunchtimes and after-school hours providing a lot of extra curricular help for students."

"I would be very sorry to lose her," she said.

Ms Ellis has taught English at the school for nine years.

Big Brother forces the housemates to nominate two contestants each week for eviction until the final one scoops the £70,000 jackpot.

The game show's online betting sponsor, Paddy Power, has Penny at 3-1 for eviction this week, although fellow housemate Bubble remains the 2-1 favourite.