Former Love Island star and physician Dr Alex George has announced he will be giving a Welsh holiday cottage to a family of Ukrainian refugees. The television personality, who appeared in Love Island back in 2018, has been praised by fans for his generosity after sharing the news on social media, although others have criticised him.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday (April 3), Dr Alex George wrote: "Today’s the day! I’m so excited to announce that I’ve bought 4 holiday cottages in beautiful Pembrokeshire, in Wales.
"I initially bought these for my passion for property and renovation, as well as wanting to create relaxing spaces for families to holiday and enjoy the Welsh countryside in! With all of the current devastation in Ukraine, I have decided I would love one of the cottages to be home to a Ukrainian family for as long as they need."
He added: "My plan is to start the renovations and get the properties into a good state to house a family as soon as possible. If you’d like to follow me along on my renovation journey, go and follow @dralexrenovates. Please feel free to let me know all your renovation tips and tricks below."
Alex has only shared photos of 'cottage number 1' so far, as he is yet to name any of the four holiday homes officially. From the small glimpse he has awarded his fans and followers, it is clear that the charming cottage boasts some enviable features, such as wooden beams and large window seats.
Posting an update on his YouTube channel, Dr Alex explained the journey of buying the cottages and his plans to renovate them. He said: "There are four cottages. Basically, I bought it off a very lovely gentleman who owned the place before.
"They were run as long-term lets, we basically wanted to buy it and actually turn it into holiday cottages. There is one cottage that has still got a tenant in at the moment that's going to move out.
Dr Alex added: "We've ummed and ahhed about what to do because things going on in the world right now are tough, and I think we've all been moved about the things we've seen in Ukraine. I think it's moved all of us and it kind of makes you think 'What can we do to help?'.
"I've felt kind of powerless to be honest in the last few weeks and months. What I want to do is put one of the cottages to have a Ukrainian family to stay there as long as they need to, really. The cottages are not in a fit state at the moment... the one cottage kind of is but it needs sorting."
The Love Island star then took viewers on a tour of his new cottages, explaining to them what he was going to chop and change. The cottages were once farm buildings, and boast a lot of character and quirkiness.
Since announcing that he will be housing a Ukrainian family in one of his cottages, Dr Alex has been inundated with kind messages of support from fans, who have praised him for his decision. However, some people are not too happy, as Welsh people are struggling to afford homes in Wales due to others buying properties there and renting them out.
Barbara Jones said: "I hate to add any negativity to this post BUT, most of the properties in Wales are currently being bought as holidays/second homes. It's driving the house prices to extremes.
"People who live and work (for the NHS) in Wales such as myself can't afford to buy a house. Couldn't you have bought a second home in England where you are already?"
Rebecca Woods added: "No wonder we have a housing shortage with a lot of local people being priced out of areas which are touristy. Four cottages, as holiday lets?!
"Great that you're letting a Ukrainian family have one but that's 4 properties you'll have that a local can't buy and they'll probably sit empty for a good few months of the year. Surprised you posted this tbh, very tone deaf."
Dr Alex grew up in the village of Nantgaredig in Carmarthenshire, and shot to fame on Love Island after being scouted by producers via social media. Despite most Love Islanders quitting their day jobs and generating their income through brand deals, Dr Alex has continued his work as a medical professional, and is now the UK Youth Mental Health Ambassador with the Department for Education.
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