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Love Island star slams ITV show saying All Stars series ‘has a diversity problem’
Priya went through a breakup before being contacted to audition for All Stars
A FORMER Love Island star has criticised the show's new All Stars series over a lack of "appropriate" diversity.
Dr Priya Gopaldas, 26, starred as a bombshell in season seven of the show alongside the like of Toby Aromolaran, Kaz Kamwi, Liberty Poole and Jake Cornish all of who are appearing in tonight's All Stars launch show.
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While she has credited the programme with improving the diversity of its casting, she believes more work needs to be done and a large minority is being underrepresented.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Priya said: "I think the show has become more diverse, but I don't think that the diversity is appropriate.
"So in terms of when you look at what the UK population, it's mostly made up of Caucasian, you have then Indian and South Asian, who actually make up the second largest proportion of the UK population, and the fact that there isn't South Asian representation so far on this season is disappointing.
"And I definitely think that they could have more appropriate diversity."
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Priya was approached by producers to star on the programme back in 2021 and spent eight days in the villa during which time she coupled up with model Brett Staniland.
The winner of last year's winter series, Sanam Harrinanan, has Indian heritage and Ruchee Gurung, an original contestant in the following season 10, was born and raised in Nepal.
The former's ongoing love story with Kai Fagan rules her out of this series while it remains to be seen if Ruchee will reappear as a bombshell.
Last year Priya got her call to audition to be a part of the All Stars series, however, she will not be on the programme.
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She said: "There are South Asians that have applied to the show because they sent me messages and so I do know that there are people applying, but I also know that I was hunted by one of the research costing people.
"They sent me a message. And so they clearly hunted me.
"So I know that on both sides they're trying to make it work, but it hasn't really worked."
While she was open to the idea of a villa return having gone through a break-up just a week before being contacted by bosses, Priya is content not to be taking part.
She admitted: "I didn't really mind that.
"It didn't happen, and I think it would have been quite tough to interrupt my career again.
"Obviously, for the show, I had to take a whole year off medical school, initially, and I don't know how likely it would have been that I would have been able to get time off and also, now, in retrospect, having seen the line-up, I think everything happens for a reason and I don't think I'd have fit into the villa this time around."
Revealing how the approach unfolded, Priya, who is speaking at The National Running Show in Birmingham at the weekend, said it all happened very quickly.
First there were Zoom calls, then a psychological assessment and finally a studio interview with producers.
She explained: "They they called me up and asked me if I was single, and it felt like a coincidence, because my boyfriend and I had broken up like a week before, and he moved over to the States, and long distance didn't really work, and so it felt like it was meant to happen.
"Obviously things were still fresh, but I didn't say no and so went through just a few interviews.
"That was essentially how it happened. It was very quick.
"It was all within a few weeks where they contacted me and got me into studios for an interview."
The junior doctor is now focused on her work in hospital and running the London Marathon in April.
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She also has a collaboration with a big fitness brand in the works, too.
So it looks like she's doing just fine without any villa drama.
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