Former Love Island star Priya Gopaldas has weighed in on the backlash to the winter series Love Island, amid accusations of a lack of diversity.
The 25-year-old medic appeared at the tail-end of the 2021 series of the ITV reality dating show and has now responded to the fresh batch of stars.
Priya has now commented on the ongoing questions around a lack of diversity on the show, as she slammed the lack of ‘representation’ for its upcoming series.
Priya took to her Instagram stories after Love Island confirmed the new line-up of twenty-somethings heading to South Africa looking for love.
Alongside a snap of the latest line-up, she penned: “Love Island, where is the South Asian representation?”
“P.S. No, dropping someone in a week before the final is tokenism, it doesn't count,” she added.
She went on to hit out against claims that it was ‘impossible to represent all ethnicities on the show’
Posting the 2021 population census, Priya added: “Asians make up the 2nd highest proportion of the UK population, so should be represented appropriately.”
Love Island fans have similarly once again hit out at the lack of diversity in the new line-up, pointing out that the contestants are ‘all size 8, Insta perfect with six packs’.
Yet fans have also praised the reality series for the inclusion of the first ever partially-sighted Islander and for casting a model who has the skin condition vitiligo.
The new line-up is made up of five women and five men, but many critics have pointed out that as in previous years the line-up includes a lack of BAME singletons.
This new series of Love Island will be the first to no longer allow contestants to use their socia l media platforms during the series in a major new shake-up of the rules.
The ITV2 show announced that the new stars must agree to pause their handles for the duration of their time on the show.
In the past contestants' family or friends have been responsible for sharing content on the stars' social media accounts while they're on the show.
Yet Islanders’ accounts will remain dormant while they are in the villa and nothing can be published on their behalf.
The duty of care protocols have grown stricter following backlash over the show's aftercare in the last few years.
New Islanders will be receiving training and guidance 'around mutually respectful behaviour in relationships.'
