Cage-fighter Alex Reid tells how the brawl kicked off

ALEX Reid has revealed how he battered Jordan's ex Dane Bowers because the boy band star threatened to kill him.

Cage-fighter Reid claimed he only lashed out in response to Bowers' drunken bravado.

"I just went. I put him down," he said as the pair prepared to enter the Celeb Big Brother House.

He added: "He's lucky he's not dead. I'd had a few drinks."

Superfit cage-fighter Alex repeatedly elbowed the boyband singer in the HEAD then used a specialist fighting move on Dane's KNEES before felling him with a martial arts-style headkick.

Reid, 34, insisted he was provoked by the podgy pop star, who had drunkenly threatened to kill him.

Speaking about the brawl for the first time, he told a close friend: "I'm trying to play it down.

"My elbow has hit him three times in the head. I worked his knees too.

"I never get in fights, ever. I was like, 'Come on, please, let's go,' and he was lairing it up. He took my kindness as a weakness."

Incredibly Jordan, real name Katie Price, had invited Bowers to a fancy dress New Year's Eve party at her home in Woldingham, Surrey, so he could "bond" with Reid before both enter the Celebrity Big Brother house tonight.

Today the News of the World can exclusively reveal the events surrounding the shocking confrontation - in Reid's own words.

He gave a full version of the fight, which could see him charged with assault, in a conversation with his friend. Reid told him:

"Me and Katie had gone to bed. We're in the bedroom and he's banging on the door.

Screaming

"Anyway, basically, I let the first time go, but on the third time I got the hump and said, 'What the f***'s going on?'

"We're there naked and I said, 'What the f***'s going on?' He said, 'I'm trying to get out.'

"I spun to the door at that and he could see I was angry and thought, 'Oh b******s!'

"Then he went downstairs and I saw him rowing with somebody else. I put my clothes on and went down to try and calm it down.

"There were kids in the house and they were all screaming and shouting and I was calming everyone down. I was like the peacemaker. I said, 'Come on, let's not have this, let's go outside.'

"I pushed him out, non-aggressively just to get him out. I said, 'Why?' and talked to him calmly.

"I said, 'Look, I'm not shouting at you, you're getting all lairy and I'm talking to you calmly.'

"I said, 'Why did you bang on our door?' and he said, 'I didn't do it.' I said, 'You did because I opened the door and you were banging on it'.

"He said, 'It wasn't me.' I said, 'All right, fair enough, you know what? I'll let that one go.'

"Then he started lairing up with somebody else and I told him to f*** off. I said, 'Look, please just go,' and he said something about threatening to kill me."

Reid thought the threat was laughable - but it was enough to trigger a violent reaction.

The fighter told his friend: "I just went. I'd had enough this time. I put him down, but not with a clenched hand. What put him down was a headkick.

"The thing is that there were witnesses and things. There were loads of people round and it looks like I started on him. That's the silly thing.

"All Katie's people were here. She said to me, 'It's Dane Bowers. What have you done? He's only a little weakling.' I said, 'Yeah totally, but if you poke a dog with a stick enough it's going to bite'.

"He provoked me. I had him with my other hand and kept elbowing him. He's lucky he's not dead. I'd had a few drinks."

Reid also revealed he stopped a pal from inflicting further damage on the former Another Level star.

He said: "He mounted him and hit him as well. He was the one I pulled off and told to stop fighting."

Jordan, 31, who dated Bowers in 2000, then asked him and his current girlfriend to leave the party.

Bowers, 30, limped away sporting a massive bruise to his forehead.

Reid's friend said last night: "Dane just got drunker and drunker and thought he could abuse Alex. He accused him of not having a job and living off Katie.

"He pushed it too far. Even when Alex went to bed at 5am, he was still having a go and annoying him.

"You just don't pick a fight with a professional cage-fighter. That's a very silly move, especially if you are flabby and weedy like Bowers.

Snapped

"No one was suprised that Alex snapped. He's lucky he wasn't very badly hurt."

Jordan later told another friend that Bowers WAS badly hurt.

She said: "He's full of bruises. He's upset and angry. He's got a massive graze on his shoulder and a massive knee." Bowers was seen yesterday for the first time since the bust-up. He emerged from his flat in Croydon, south London, with a black baseball cap pulled down over his black eye.

Earlier, a make-up artist from Celebrity Big Brother show turned up to try to tone down the shiner.

Bowers headed off for crisis talks with Channel 4 bosses.

They also spoke to Reid and decided to let both take part in the show after being assured there would be no repetition of the New Year's Eve violence in the house.

A C4 insider said: "The producers spoke to both Reid and Bowers.

"They were asked to give a full explanation of what happened on New Year's Eve. They both gave their version of events. They both made it clear that it was a one-off dispute sparked by alcohol and that they would not cause trouble on the show.

"The Channel 4 team had a meeting and decided to let both of them stay in the show."

But Reid told his pal Bowers had called Jordan suggesting he would use the fight to get Reid BANNED from the programme.

He said: "Katie's okay, she's backing me. He's been on the phone to Katie. He's telling her I'm not going in the Big Brother house and that I'm a c***.

"He said I was mouthing off. He's saying everyone hates me including all the cage-fighters.

"What a k**b. He's gobbing off like a big f****** p****. He's saying that I'm not going to be in Big Brother. That's what he's threatening. If he makes a phone call, I'm not going to be going in the Big Brother house.

"He's not ready to say what he wants at the moment.

"He's not thinking right at the moment. I hope he wants to meet. The best thing that can happen is if he gets someone to come and do me because I'd rather get beaten up. It's not that bad.

"He's been shouting off saying to Katie that I'm a c**k and everyone hates me. I've just kept quiet and been like, 'Whatever.' He's looking pretty bruised though.

"He's in the Big Brother house and it's going to be naughty, innit?"

Bowers had dressed up as comic book character V for the party, where guests included model Danielle Lloyd and former Big Brother star Imogen Thomas.

Reid went as movie gladiator Maximus, sporting a rippling bare chest, leather skirt and Roman sandals.

Jordan began the evening as 101 Dalmatians baddy Cruella de Ville.

Lavish

But she soon ditched her tatty black and white wig and cheap boa when another guest arrived in a far more lavish version of the costume.

She changed into a giant pumpkin outfit then swapped again, changing into pink pyjamas with a matching pink bow in her hair.

Her children Princess Tiamii, two, dressed up as Cinderella in a glittering gold satin dress while Junior, four, wore a Buzz Lightyear outfit.

WALTZER AND ALL: Diary room

Hold on fellas your in for a rough ride

CELEBRITY Big Brother contestants are in for another real up-and-downer - in the new fairground-themed diary room.

Stressed out stars will vent their frustrations, and chat with the boss, in this new waltzer-inspired hotseat. And there will be plenty of fuming - this series has an Inferno theme.

The waltzer is also a clue to the white-knuckle tasks lined up to "test celebrities like never before."

A Channel 4 insider said: "The plan for this year is to push all the limits - and make it a proper rollercoaster ride.

"But it's not always going to be fun. The idea is to put the celebrities through a sort of hell. At times, they will definitely feel like that is where they are."