A Muslim contestant was seen leaving Bear Grylls 'The Island' last night, explaining he was uncomfortable with "living with women who are half-naked".
Viewers watched Rizwan Shabir, quit the reality show, after he became increasingly awkward around the female contestants in their bikinis.
"At the end of the day I am a Muslim - I'm not used to living with women who are half-naked. This is harder than what I thought it would be.
"Basically I'm around a group of women who are half-naked, which in my religion and culture I shouldn't really be."
The Bradford-based father of three had also become emotional and tearful in some scenes, explaining he was missing his family.
Rizwan had been popular among his fellow contestants, but this is the first series of the show, now in its third run, where male and females have been put together, and the women were often shown in bikini tops as they tried to resource supplies and helped build the camp on the island.
Rizwan called his time on the show "the best thing and worst thing he had ever done". He had hoped to be a role model for other Muslims, and was seen praying five times a day during his time on the island.
The show is presented by devout Christian Bear Grylls, although viewers have complained about the copious amounts of swearing featured in the programme, with one episode featuring as many as 95 curses.
Of this series mixing up the sexes, Bear says:
"We wanted to take this season to the next level and putting men and women together was the natural progression. It is easy to assume that this will turn into a battle of the sexes – but in truth it is much deeper than that and is a battle for survival - that’s not about gender or how big and tough someone may look, that’s about mental strength and character.”
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