In the eight years since Love Island exploded onto our screens in a gale of pearly white veneers and perfect abs, we’ve seen more than 200 singletons walk into the Mallorcan villa. Each year, we watch them trot between the fire pit and the pool. They sidle over to potential lovers for chats on the daybed. They saunter down the stairs for their mandated two glasses of wine. But as we sat down to observe the newbies arrive for season 10 earlier this month, someone’s walk got people talking.
Viewers noticed that the 26-year-old French model Mehdi Edno seemed to have what they deemed a “feminine” sway to his step. His hips visibly move side-to-side as he swings his arms; there’s a confidence to his stride. Viewers quickly dubbed his strut “sassy”, “fruity” and “camp”, joking that he should be appearing on a different show, specifically RuPaul’s Drag Race. “Mehdi doesn’t walk, he sashays,” joked one viewer on Twitter. Another asked: “Why does Mehdi walk like that?”. Then came the posts that concluded: “Mehdi is gay!”. Only this week, the rapper Stefflon Don questioned, during an appearance on sister show Love Island: Aftersun, whether Mehdi “even likes females”.
