Celebrity Big Brother’s new UK v USA series has hit a stumbling block after contestant Angela Raiola has been forced to pull out.

The US reality star, known as Big Ang – who first found fame on Mob Wives – had been signed up to appear in the Channel 5 show this summer, according to The Sun.

Angela Raiola (Paul Bruinooge/AP)
Angela Raiola (Paul Bruinooge/AP)

But the 54-year-old niece of renowned New York mobster Salvatore Lombardi has had to withdraw form the show after undergoing surgery earlier this month to remove a tumour the size of a lemon from her throat.

Angela is a big personality in the US after finding fame on VH1 reality show Mob Wives, about families with connections to the Mafia, and then got her own spin-off show Big Wives.

CBB bosses now need to find a new US celebrity to battle it out against UK stars in the reality TV show.

Janice Dickinson (Rich Fury/Invision)
Janice Dickinson (Rich Fury/Invision)

Model Janice Dickinson is reportedly already signed up for the series, which will begin in August.