Love Island boss says 2021 series can’t have gay contestants ‘because it doesn’t work with show format’
LOVE Island's top boss has insisted this year's show can't have gay contestants because it throws up "logistical difficulty".
Speculation has been rife that the 2021 series will feature contestants who are gay or bisexual when the show returns on Monday, June 28.
But now ITV’s commissioner Amada Stavri has revealed that while the new series will have "greater inclusivity and diversity", gay Islanders won't be included as they won't fit in with the show's format.
“There’s been quite a few rumours circulating about featuring gay Islanders, so it’s worth touching on that really,” Amada told the .
“The line-up will be announced within time and it goes without saying that we want to encourage greater inclusivity and diversity.”
Love Island welcomed its first openly bisexual star, Katie Salmon, to the villa in 2016.
She went on to make history by coupling up with Sophie Gradon - the show's first same-sex pairing.
However, Sophie quit the show to get back with Tom after realising she didn't have feelings for Katie.
Bisexual Megan Barton Hanson appeared on the show in 2018 and ended up finishing in fourth place with then-boyfriend Wes Nelson.
She has since spoken openly about being bisexual and has dated Demi Sims and Chelcee Grimes.
ITV previously confirmed they will accept potential Islanders from all sexual orientations.
"Our only stipulation for applicants on Love Island is that they are over 18, single and looking for love," a rep told The Sun Online.
But Amanda said the "logistical difficulty" stands in the way of the series featuring both straight and gay contestants.
“In terms of gay Islanders, I think the main challenge is regarding the format of Love Island," she said.
"There’s a sort of logistical difficulty, because although Islanders don’t have to be 100 per cent straight, the format must sort of give [the] Islanders an equal choice when coupling up.
“With our dating shows, such as The Cabins, there is much more sexual diversity.
"The formats don’t have as much restrictions as Love Island.
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"So we’re very sort of mindful of that across our programming on ITV and dating series. But that’s the difficulty with Love Island.”
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Amada said the casting team have had more applicants than ever - with the opening line-up still up in the air.
She added: "We’ve got a big sort of pool at the moment and we need to sort of work out who to put in the opening line-up and who sort of to hold back, you know as a bombshell – we need the bombshells!"