Love Island viewers are concerned about the age of Amber Wise, one of the new girls joining the show at Casa Amor.
The ITV dating show is heading into its fifth week, with Sunday (2 July) night’s episode spelling the long-awaited return of Casa Amor.
In this period of the show, which generally comes mid-season, the islanders are split by gender into two separate villas, where they’re each put in with a whole new group of the opposite sex.
At the end of their holiday in Casa Amor, the original islanders will be reunited and tasked with deciding whether they want to stick with their former partners or twist and move on.
On Sunday night, the boys met the girls from Casa Amor for the first time, including returning islander Molly Marsh, who was previously dumped from the villa by series two finalist Kady McDermott.
Also among the new girls is Amber, the daughter of former England footballer Dennis Wise.
At just 19, Amber is the youngest islander on the show, leading many to suggest that the competition’s minimum age requirement should be increased.
“AMBER IS 19??? Oh hell nah,” one commenter wrote.
“19?!!! Send Amber back to school,” another joked.
“AMBER IS 19?!! AS IN SHE IS ON UNI BREAK??” one tweet read.
Another viewer tweeted: “Sorry did Amber say she’s 19? They need to stop this.”
“Amber’s 19. Nah baby girl go home,” one fan said.
Some viewers pointed out that series eight finalist Gemma Owen, who appeared on the show last summer, had been 19 when she appeared on Love Island.
The Independent has contacted ITV for comment.
Earlier in the series, the cast of Love Island was left in shock by the age of another contestant.
Dental nurse Charlotte, who has since been dumped from the villa, arrived as a bombshell and went on dates with Mitchel, Tyrique and Zachariah.
When she told them that she was 30, Mitchell replied: “Are you actually? You look amazing,” while Tyrique said that she “didn’t look 30”.
Writing in The Independent, Isobel Lewis argued: “Sexism underpins these comments. Charlotte is a beautiful and accomplished woman, but she can’t be allowed to get big-headed about it, can she? No, there has to be an ‘actually’ or a ‘though’, putting her in her place.
“In a culture obsessed with women looking young, a woman who doesn’t look her age, whether through good genetics, surgery, or a rigorous retinol-focused skincare routine, is seen as a winner, her accomplishment to be praised. Were a guy in his thirties to enter the villa, the girls would be all over him, praising him for his emotional maturity without scanning his face for crow’s feet.”
Love Island airs Sunday to Friday at 9pm on ITV2.
