My daughter went on Love Island and I got slated on TV – parents who have no clue about fame should be terrified
LAYER Cake actor Tamer Hassan has warned parents of Love Island contestants that things can go very wrong if they don’t stay on the ball.
Tamer said he knew daughter Belle could handle herself, but it didn't stop furious fans from slamming him for letting his daughter enter the villa.
While it's all worked out for the 24-year-old on the ITV show, Tamer says he’s seen reality TV careers go very, very wrong indeed.
He said: “For most parents, to have their children actually getting into the public eye, potentially making a lot of money, a little bit of fame, creating a platform - I think most of us will be excited about it.
“But for me, understanding the industry, it was a little bit more terrifying for me, because it could go really wrong.
“I understand how bad it can go.”
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'I got called out on TV'
Tamer admits he saw a flash of the ugly side of Love Island when he appeared on Channel 5 talk show Jeremy Vine when Belle was in the villa.
He said he was bombarded with sexist questions about how he could let his daughter go on the show.
He said: “There was a phone-in. People were saying things like, 'I think it's disgusting that you let your daughter go on there'. I found it very negative.”
But the actor was never going to tell headstrong Belle - who appeared in 2011 film Jack Falls - what to do.
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He said: “I'm saying you've got a 21 or 20-year-old, powerful, strong, independent woman who's been working since she was 12 years old, and who knows what she wants.
“I said, ‘How can I tell my daughter, you're not doing this or you're doing this now?'
“So as parents, all we can do is guide them, educate them the best we can and hope that they take your advice.”
Best piece of advice
Luckily for the Hassans, make-up influencer Belle made it to the final with her now ex Anton Danyluk in season five.
Tamer said he gave his daughter some sage advice before she went into Casa Amor - to say no to anything too rude or embarrassing.
He said: “If I use Anton and Belle as an example... Anton - fair play to him - he would always say if the producer asked him to do something.
“He’d say ‘no, my parents are watching’.
“You're always allowed to say no, that's all I can say.
"Think about how it's gonna affect your parents on both sides of your family.
“And just think about it and if you want to say no, just say no.
Cringey scene
But the Game of Thrones actor said the TV magic happened when producers took a step back - even though some scenes left him shaking his head.
He added: “The producers got annoyed with [Anton] a little bit, saying ‘come on, you gotta do this, you gotta do that’.
“But then it can't get worse than her shaving his bum so swings and roundabouts.”
Tamer also advised beauty Belle to just be herself on screen - and to not play any games.
He said: “Be honest, don’t gossip and don’t cause any problems or troubles. Don't gossip, that's just my way.
“Don't take people's words and travel it to somebody else.”
Parents turn the tables
With industry experience, Tamer knew what he was in for - but said some other parents went in blind despite briefing from producers.
He said: “It's easy for me to talk about and guide my daughter through my experiences and what I know about the industry.
“The ones you really want to talk to are the ones that don't understand. Working bankers, builders that don't understand the industry.”
ITV recently announced a Love Island spin-off for over-thirties and single parents called the Romance Retreat.
But Tamer joked a Love Island reboot with past contestants' parents could be TV gold.
He said: “Who wants to watch their mums and dads? It's probably cringy for a minute.
“But it would be good TV wouldn’t it?
“It'd be like Celebrity Big Brother. All the things they make them do is cringey.
“But it would be good TV - car crash TV at its finest.
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“You want to get the ones all having a midlife crisis.”
Tamer Hassan can be seen in the lead role in the horror House Red, available now on Amazon Prime and Sky Movies