‘We want them to be attracted to one another’: Love Island bosses defends show’s line-up

"It’s an entertainment show".

Love Island has come in for some criticism in the past regarding their lack of body diversity on the show, with every contestant tending fall in a pretty narrow concept of body ideals. Audiences were told that this year would include a plus sized contestant, but many viewers are already frustrated at the lack of representation on the series. Each of the contestants on this year's season of the show appear to be fit and toned. Speaking to Radio Times, creative director Richard Cowles has defended the line-up, claiming that they have been as diverse as possible with their selection process.

"First and foremost, it’s an entertainment show and it’s about people wanting to watch who you’ve got on screen falling in love with one another," he said. "Yes, we want to be as representative as possible but we also want them to be attracted to one another.

"Also, we’re not saying that everyone that’s in there is how you’re supposed to look. "We’re saying here’s a group of people that we want to watch for eight weeks, and we want to watch them fall in love. That’s not at the front of our mind, but we do want to be as diverse as possible."

Love Island is back on our TV screens on Monday 3 June.