Former Love Island star Marcel Somerville has spoken out after the first episode of the new series, suggesting there is an issue with racial bias.
Marcel was a contestant on the third series of Love Island, making it all the way through to the final alongside his ex-girlfriend, Gabrielle Allen.
As always, the opening episode of series five saw the first coupling-up of the series, in which the women of the villa lined up and stepped forward for anyone who has caught their eye, with the men then having their final say over who to pick.
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Yewande and Michael eventually paired up, after being among the last ones standing
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While watching the episode, Marcel expressed his disappointment upon seeing that three of the show’s black and mixed race contestants were among the last to be picked.
He tweeted: “This is mad!!!! #LoveIsland flash backs! Black guy, black girl and mixed race guy all left unpicked. Mad!!!
“Sheriff and Michael are gonna do there ting, get thru the first day and show them what their missing [sic]”
HuffPost UK has contacted Love Island for comment.
Earlier this week, Marcel spoke to Metro about his first days on Love Island, admitting that he found the fact no one stepped forward for him particularly difficult.
“I was thinking to myself, ‘what the hell have I walked into?’” he explained. “I’m a super confident guy but that hit me really hard. I’m fortunate to be quite a calm and chilled person so I took it on the chin and just said to myself, ‘If I’m only on the show for a week, just make sure to enjoy yourself, it’s a holiday.’
“It was raining the next day and no one was filming, so it gave us time to bond off camera. That day I felt like everyone’s favourite person, which just goes to show, you can’t judge a book by its cover. I became the go-to person in the villa for everyone and it was definitely a highlight of the whole experience for me. I loved that these strangers found comfort in my personality.”
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Marcel Somerville in his Love Island press photo
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In the same piece, Marcel said: “The first thing I noticed and was impressed by was the number of people of colour starting as originals. They’ve definitely made a conscious effort to rectify the colourism problems they faced last year.”
However, he wasn’t the only one to point out the significance of Michael, Yewande and Sherif being the last ones chosen…
Marcel was among those calling for Anton’s removal, saying at the time: “Blackface was a form of entertainment that comedians and actors used to do. But we all know it’s just not funny and simply not acceptable any more.
“In my opinion it hasn’t been acceptable for decades, so to hear that someone still thinks it’s OK to make fun of people’s skin colour is absolutely ridiculous. It’s racist, and for him to stay on the show now with no repercussions is not OK.
“Perhaps Love Island bosses should let his fellow housemates know about what he did. Then we can see if he still finds it funny.”
Love Island airs Sunday through Friday nights on ITV2 at 9pm.
Love Island Contestants 2019
Yewande Biala(01 of12)
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Age: 23
From: Dublin, Ireland
Occupation: Scientist
She says: "I think people may be surprised. Every time I say that I’m a scientist, people are shocked. I think there are loads of intelligent people on reality television." (credit:ITV)
Lucie Donlan(02 of12)
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Age: 21
From: Newquay
Occupation: Surfer
She says: "I stand out and I’m different to the usual girls that might go on the show. I’m more into sports as well as being glam. I can do both, which makes me stand out compared to other girls. I’m more of a guy’s girl than a girl’s girl."
Claim to fame: "The last guy I was with was Charlie [Frederick] from last year’s Love Island. We got together a few weeks after he came out of the villa." (credit:ITV)
Amber Gill(03 of12)
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Age: 21
From: Newcastle
Occupation: Beauty therapist
She says: "I like tall guys who are muscly and athletic, I like people that go to the gym because that’s what I like. I want someone who is funny and that I can have fun with and doesn’t take themselves too seriously because I am daft."
Claim to fame: "I know a few of the former Islanders from Newcastle, like Adam Collard and Ellie Brown. Everyone knows everyone in Newcastle!" (credit:ITV)
Amy Hart(04 of12)
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Age: 26
From: Worthing, Sussex
Occupation: Cabin crew
She says: "I I have weird celebrity crushes like David Walliams and Simon Cowell. You’d never go there obviously but there is something about them."
Claim to fame: "I went on a night out once and Liam from One Direction was there. We were in the VIP bit and so was he and he walked past me and I smiled and he said ‘Hey, you alright? What’s your name?’ He told us to come and sit in his booth and we had a picture together." (credit:ITV)
Anna Vakili(05 of12)
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Age: 28
From: London
Occupation: Pharmacist
She says: "I’m difficult to handle, I’m a drama queen and I overreact. I’m clumsy and I’m a messy eater. I spill my drinks all the time. I’m stubborn as well, if I’m in a mood then it’s really hard to get me out of the mood."
Claim to fame: "I ended up on the Iranian News earlier this year when my sister and I were away in Qatar with two Iranian footballers who have a huge following. Suddenly my followers went up by 20,000 and I started being tagged in fan pages!" (credit:ITV)
Anton Danyluk(06 of12)
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Age: 24
From: Airdrie, Scotland
Occupation: Gym owner
He says: "That’s a medical condition that I have… a wandering eye! I’ve never really been loyal in any of my relationships. My last relationship, I actually got caught cheating for the first time in my life and it changed everything for me. I saw how much it hurt her and what it did to her. So, for me going to into Love Island, it’s going to be the biggest test of my life." (credit:ITV)
Tommy Fury(07 of12)
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Age: 20
From: Manchester
Occupation: Boxer
He says: "I won’t be afraid to go and have a splash about in the pool, I’ll mingle with people and find out about everyone because at the end of the day I’ll be living with these people for a long time so it’ll be nice to see if I have a bromance in there, along with a relationship. It’s nice to be a bit standoutish."
Claim to fame: "It’s probably my brother, Tyson, but I’m my own man and I’ve said it throughout my whole boxing career. I don’t want to be labelled as his little brother, I’m my own man and I’m doing the best that I can do in life and that’s all I’m setting out to achieve." (credit:ITV)
Joe Garratt(08 of12)
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Age: 22
From: South east London
Occupation: Catering company owner
He says: "I’ve only had one girlfriend. I knew her locally but I think we started chatting through social media. I meet people in bars, that’s my go-to."
Claim to fame: "I used to play semi-professional rugby." (credit:ITV)
Michael Griffiths(09 of12)
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Age: 27
From: Liverpool
Occupation: Firefighter
He says: "I get complimented on my smile a lot. People seem to be obsessed with my lips. I’d rate myself ten out of ten, I would have said nine but I’m a hero so it bumps it up." (credit:ITV)
Sherif Lanre(10 of12)
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Age: 20
From: London
Occupation: Chef and semi-pro rugby player
He says: "I’m upbeat and cheeky and outrageous with my own friends so hopefully that continues in the villa. I’m always on a mission to make people laugh.That’ll be of value in there." (credit:HuffPost UK)
Callum MacLeod(11 of12)
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Age: 28
From: South Wales
Occupation: Aircraft engineer
He says: "I would say my best feature is my tan - give me an hour and I am golden." (credit:ITV)
Curtis Pritchard(12 of12)
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Age: 23
From: Shropshire
Occupation: Ballroom and Latin dancer
He says: "I have lived a very sheltered life because of my dancing, I’ve not done a lot of going out partying, going on dates because I haven’t had time to. Being truthful I’ve probably been on less than ten dates, maybe five dates. I have never met anyone online, I’ve never used a dating app."
Claim to fame: "I would say my claim to fame is that I’m on Dancing with the Stars Ireland and AJ Pritchard from Strictly Come Dancing is my brother." (credit:ITV)