Love Island viewers have flocked to Ofcom to hit out at "bullying behaviour" towards contestant Scott van-der-Sluis after a heated clash during movie night.
The broadcasting watchdog reported that 957 complaints were made about the ITV episode on July 9, which saw the contestants given the opportunity to watch videos clips of various antics that took place when the couples were tested by being separated between the main villa and Casa Amor.
Footballer Scott, 22, from north Wales, was left single after his partner Catherine Agbaje decided to recouple with Elom Ahlijah-Wilson following her time in the second villa. Scott ended up embroiled in more drama when a clip showed him saying he missed Catherine after she left for Casa Amor, but that he felt he wouldn't once the new female bombshells arrived at the villa.
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After watching the clip, Dublin-born Catherine said: "It's because he didn’t get the girls – that's clearly what it was." Fellow islander Kady McDermott also jumped in, adding: "Apparently, none of the girls wanted you. That's why."
Scott hit back, saying: "It wasn’t that though. It's not a matter of none of the girls wanting me because I didn’t do anything about it."
Later in the evening, Scott watched a clip of Catherine getting close with Elom while the girls encouraged her to pursue the connection. The female islanders could be seen cheering Catherine on as they watched a video of her kissing Elom, which prompted Mitchel to ask: "Laughing at my boy's downfall?" and Sammy to add: "Imagine that was the other way round."
Leah responded by saying: "She's happy with Elom, you saw it," to which Scott replied: "I don't have an issue with what's just gone on."
He noted that she was starting to do "a lot of talking" on the matter and when she questioned what he meant, he added: "You're the spokesperson suddenly. You haven't spoke for about four weeks."
The remark prompted a shocked reaction from the female islanders, with Kady branding the comment "rude".
Following the clash between the pair, hundreds of complaints were made to Ofcom as viewers said they found Leah's comments 'overly harsh' and felt as though Scott was being 'ganged up on' in the villa after Catherine turned her back on him in Casa Amor.
Taking to Twitter at the time, one user wrote: "Not going to lie, I couldn't watch tonight's episode because I can't stand bullies and Catherine and her sidekicks are indeed bullying Scott right now."
"Not Scott who is the nicest boy in the villa being BULLIED right in front of our eyes," another fumed.
"Catherine and Leah both need to leave the villa!!! They are so cruel and mean to Scott. Everyone seems to forget that he was left on his own when she came back from Casa Amor," someone else insisted. ITV have been contacted for comment.
