Caroline Flack defends decision to cast semi-famous contestants on Love Island

It's June, summer is coming (we think?) and you already know where you'll be at 9pm every weeknight for the next two months. Why? Because Love Island is back.

The ITV2 show starts this week, and before we've even seen the newbies on screen there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the casting. Last week, when the contestants were announced, the show was criticised for a lack of body diversity - although former islanders have since spoken out against the backlash.

And now the host, Caroline Flack, has decided to talk about the decision to include a number of singletons who are related to, or already friends with, celebrities.

This year, the housemates include Curtis Pritchard, brother of Strictly Come Dancing pro AJ Pritchard; Tommy Fury, brother of boxer Tyson Fury; and Lucie Donlan, who dated previous Love Island contestant Charlie Frederick.

Talking to HuffPost UK, Caroline said: 'It’s headlines basically isn’t it? That’s headlines for the show but when they go in there, it doesn’t matter.

'It doesn’t matter who you are, love is love. No one else feels any differently to anyone else just because your someone’s brother or someone’s sister. We don’t look at them differently because Curtis has got a brother on Strictly Come Dancing.

'As soon as you get in that house and it becomes about the relationships, it’s not the people, it’s the relationships we’re interested in. It never is the people.'

And who does she think will be the most loveable character on the show this year?

She told Digital Spy: 'I think Curtis is going to be really sweet and I think he'll be the one we all want to find love.

'You know how we had Dr Alex last year – not that I'm comparing them at all, but he seems like he's someone who's going to wear their heart on their sleeve.'

Interesting.

Love Island returns tonight (Monday, June 3) at 9pm on ITV2

Jadie Troy-Pryde
News Editor

Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.