Love Island fans are calling for changes to the ITV show after finding out the age of one its contestants. Gemma Owen, daughter of ex-England striker Michael Owen, confirmed that she was 19 - a fact neither the other islanders or viewers at home were anticipating.
The hit reality TV show returned to our screens last night (Monday, June 6) and fans of the show were outraged upon discovering how young Gemma is. She is the youngest contestant on the series this year, and one of the youngest Islanders across all the series.
The model and entrepreneur said she has been single for a year and a half, but, despite her having previous relationships, viewers still thought she was too young to be looking for "the one". Gemma has previously said that money is a big motivator and admitted that she looked up to the Kardashians, as reported by the LiverpoolEcho.
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She said: “I really like the Kardashians, I watch them on telly and I follow them on social media. I think they are all good, powerful business women, what they have made for themselves is really inspiring, I’m a massive fan. Who wouldn’t like to be a billionaire like Kylie?”
But fans thought the islanders should only be on there to find a real partner. They took to Twitter to demand a rule change to the show. One user said: "19 is waaay too young for this show, should be 21 minimum #LoveIsland."
Another user said: "Shows like Love Island shouldn’t have any women under 21 years old contending. These young girls/kids may try to look and act old, but they’re not ready for all the hatred and vitriol that will be directed towards them on social media. It’ll affect their mental health. #LoveIsland."
Another person said: "Why do they even allow 19 year olds on #LoveIsland.. there needs to be a minimum age of 21 AT LEAST." While another added: "They put a 19 year old on the same show as 27/8 year olds…sis got paired with the youngest guy and is looking at the oldest ones instead. Recipe for chaos #LoveIsland."
Gemma was paired up with Liam Llewellyn, aged 22, with viewers tuning in not sure she was keen on the decision made by the public. However, "Italian Stallion" bombshell Davide entered and her head soon seemed to be turned. Nottingham's Ikenna Ekwonna has also spoken about how he was scouted for the show.
