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Former Love Island Marcel Somerville has highlighted the alleged racial bias present in the ITV show.
During the first episode of the fifth season, new Islanders Yewande Biala, Sherif Lanre and Michael Griffiths were sidelined by their fellow contestants during the first coupling up of the series.
The couple selection process seemingly sparked "flashbacks" for Somerville from his own time in the competition in 2017, when none of the female contestants stepped forward to indicate that they were interested in him.
"This is mad!!!! #LoveIsland flashbacks! Black guy, black girl and mixed race guy all left unpicked. Mad!!!" the former member of Blazin' Squad tweeted.
Somerville's tweet has been liked 3,000 times, with several Love Island viewers making the same observation as the rapper.
"Another black Islander yet again, not being/wanting to be coupled up with," one person tweeted.
"Eurocentric standards of beauty seem to still play a role," another added.
Some Love Island fans have drawn parallels between scientist Yewande and former contestant Samira Mighty , who was in the last couple to pair up during the initial selection process on the fourth series of the reality television show.
"Soooo Yewande is receiving the same treatment as Samira, this is not okay," one person tweeted.
Prior to the start of this year's series of Love Island , fans of the show called on ITV to remove new contestant Anton Danyluk after a photograph of him wearing blackface makeup in 2013 was unearthed.
Somerville stressed the offensive nature of blackface on his Instagram story, explaining that it "invokes a racist and painful history".
To read all about the first 12 contestants on this year's series of Love Island , click through the gallery below.
Show all 51 1 /51Love Island 2019 contestants Love Island 2019 contestants All contestants [Back row] Curtis Pritchard, Amy Hart, Joe Garratt, Yewande Biala, Anton Danyluk, Lucie Donlan, Anna Vikali, Amber Gill and Tommy Fury. [Front row] Michael Griffiths, Sharif Lanre and Callum Macleod.
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Love Island 2019 contestants Caroline Flack The presenter will once more return to host the series
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Love Island 2019 contestants Caroline Flack "It’s a really simple show about a really complicated subject. No love situation is ever the same, no relationship is ever the same, we are all either in love, out of love, falling in love or falling out of it. It’s relatable and that is the thing that is never going to change."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Amber Gill 21 from Newcastle
Occupation: Beauty Therapist
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Love Island 2019 contestants Amber Gill "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. Looking at my past relationships, I don’t really have a type, it’s quite broad. If someone catches my eye then I’ll go for them."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Amber Gill "I’ve got a big personality and I get on with people really well. People think I’m funny. I don’t take myself too seriously and I’m always up for a laugh. I’ll be good on challenges and dates."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Amber Gill "I’ve never cheated. I am not planning on having a wandering eye. You’re dating someone and coupling up but if I have to go for someone else then I have to. I’d obviously tell the guy and explain I liked someone else. I’ve been cheated on several times. I’m not as naive as I was then, I’ve just learnt to be careful from it. Not everyone has your best interests at heart."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Amy Hart 26 from Worthing, Sussex
Occupation: Air Hostess/Cabin Crew Manager
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Love Island 2019 contestants Amy Hart "I’m going there to find ‘the one’ but I’m also going there to have an amazing summer and meet amazing friends as well. I’m a real girl’s girl and I do believe in girl code. My best friends at home are my best friends because we have the same taste in alcohol but different taste in men. I hope that the girls won’t have the same taste in men as me but you don’t know what’s going to happen until you’re in there. I think you have to talk about it and really weigh up whether someone is amazing for you. They might not be and they might be better suited to someone else."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Amy Hart "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. I put it on Instagram and then my cousin who was twelve and a big One Direction fan put it on her Instagram and suddenly I was on all these international One Direction accounts. I was on Sugarscape and I was getting hate from ten-year-olds because they thought I was dating him!"
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Love Island 2019 contestants Amy Hart "I’m a good mix of someone who can be fun and serious, I’ll be able to look after people and I’ll be able to get really stuck in with all the fun things too. Also, I am the Bridget Jones of my friendship group so I need to find someone."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Sherif Lanre 20 from London
Occupation: Chef and semi-pro rugby player
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Love Island 2019 contestants Sherif Lanre "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."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Sherif Lanre "Bro code to me is ‘Nothing leaves this circle.’ Whatever we’re talking about doesn’t need to be relayed, not just to females but to any other people outside the bro circle. Anything we speak about, we keep to ourselves. And never fight with each other about anything outside that circle. Keeping it real, really!"
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Love Island 2019 contestants Sherif Lanre "As a chef, you’re not really front of house and not many people see you but at the moment I’m doing more service and am finding that a lot of girls are hitting on me and I’m hitting on them. I’ve even been told off by my manager!"
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Love Island 2019 contestants Callum Macleod 28 from South Wales
Occupation: Aircraft Engineer
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Love Island 2019 contestants Callum Macleod "I’m a genuine, normal guy and up for a good laugh. I love being on holiday, I love a pool party, I just think it suits me! I’m 28 now so time is ticking, I don’t want to be left on the shelf. The whole experience is going to be great and if I meet someone, that’s what I’m here for."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Callum Macleod "I hate cheating, I can’t stand it. I don’t understand why people want to do it. I’m all for being single, having a laugh and doing what you’ve got to do but I don’t understand why you would want to hurt someone at the same time. I’d rather just say ‘I don’t want to be with you’ and then go off. No, I wouldn’t cheat."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Callum Macleod "Looks-wise, I like blonde and petite girls. Personality, I just like girls that let me be myself and as long as they like me for me and of course I’ve got to enjoy their personality. As long as they let me be me and don’t try and change me."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Yewande Biala 23 from Dublin, Ireland
Occupation: Scientist
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Love Island 2019 contestants Yewande Biala "I am a terrible flirt but I’m such a girly girl and I can’t imagine stealing someone’s man in there. I don’t think I’d be that type but never say never."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Yewande Biala "I don’t think I have a wandering eye, I’m very loyal. I’ve never cheated on anyone but I’ve been cheated on multiple times. I feel like I am less trusting as a result of that. I think I’ll definitely have my guard up."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Yewande Biala "I’m a scientist, which is a unique job. 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, last year we had Dr Alex and the year before we had Camilla Thurlow in the villa."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Lucie Donlan 21 from Newquay
Occupation: Surfer
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Love Island 2019 contestants Lucie Donlan "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. I’ve got a lot of friends that are into riding bikes. I get on with those girls who are bit more tomboy-ish. I get on fine with girls, I just don’t like hanging out with girly girls too much. I like hanging out with guys because they’re into the same type of sports…. less drama really. "
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Love Island 2019 contestants Lucie Donlan "I like the typical surfer look - blonde, long hair. Someone that has a sport so if they don’t surf, I’d love to have them boxing or snowboarding, motorcross, anything cool like that. I find sporty guys so much more attractive compared to your average guy that just chills and goes on nights out. I’d rather have someone that could come and surf with me and then I could go and do their cool sport. I want someone who will want to do fun things on the weekend."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Lucie Donlan "I hate it when a guy loves himself. That turns me off. If they’re looking in the mirror more than I am! I had this guy who would put his music on and look at his abs in the mirror and he was being serious. I cannot deal with that."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Anna Vakili 28 from London
Occupation: Pharmacist
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Love Island 2019 contestants Anna Vakili "I have to trust someone to be in a relationship with them but once I am, I am really loyal. I haven’t been cheated on as far as I know. I don’t think a guy can get away with cheating on me, I’ll stalk them! Since the age of seventeen I’ve been in serious relationship after serious relationship. I’ve been single for nine months now and this is the longest I’ve been single."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Anna Vakili "I think I’m different to anyone who has been on the show before. I have the whole glam look, I’m fun but at the same time I feel like I have more to me than that. I studied hard and I’ve got my masters. I’m a pharmacist and I have a Middle Eastern background."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Anna Vakili "I walked into a glass door as I was walking into the restaurant with a date. I banged my head and everyone in the restaurant looked. My date was walking behind me. He was laughing throughout most of the date. It was so painful and embarrassing."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Anton Danyluk 24 from Airdrie, Scotland
Occupation: Gym Owner
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Love Island 2019 contestants Anton Danyluk "I am Scottish and I don’t think there has been a Scottish guy on the show before. I think I am the first? Laura Anderson and Camilla Thurlow both got to the final. Hopefully, I’ll get further than them and win it!"
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Love Island 2019 contestants Anton Danyluk "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. I know that if I am loyal to someone in that space of time when hot girls are being thrown in all the time then I know I can be loyal to them."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Anton Danyluk "I’m funny, I’m very hard working and I’m really motivated and I love to encourage and motivate people. My worst traits? I can be moody and I’m definitely an overthinker. Sometimes I can be a bit selfish."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Tommy Fury 20 from Manchester
Occuptation: Boxer
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Love Island 2019 contestants Tommy Fury "At the end of the day, if I see someone in there that I like that I feel I could have a connection with, I’ll try and pursue that without being an idiot to the other islanders. I’ll do the right thing at the right time and make my opinions known."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Tommy Fury "A lot of girls try to reach me through Instagram but I’m a real-life guy. I’m not interested in phones or FaceTime, I like the real thing, you can never gauge someone over the phone. Sit down over a drink or a meal and chat to them face-to-face, that’s the best way for me to date because that’s how you find out what type of person they really are."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Tommy Fury "I feel like I’ve got a unique personality and Love Island is a good place to showcase it. I’m fun, bubbly, good to get along with and just really easy-going. 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."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Joe Garratt 22 from South East London
Occupation: Catering Company Owner
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Love Island 2019 contestants Joe Garratt "I’m fun, I’m a bit of a romantic as well and I don’t take life too seriously. I’m chilled out and I’m quite laid-back. It could be a positive or a negative that I don’t take things too seriously all the time but in a relationship that’s quite hard… Some girls don’t like that! Sometimes I joke around too much. I’m also quite indecisive and I’ll question things. I’m always late as well, I can be super late!"
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Love Island 2019 contestants Joe Garratt "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. I don’t really use any apps, maybe Instagram sometimes. I get more people slide into my DMs, which is weird. On Instagram I don’t really like to be the person to reach out but if someone talks to me then that’s cool. I put up enough stories that you can reply to!"
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Love Island 2019 contestants Joe Garratt "When I’m committed to somebody, I’ve only got eyes for them. I’ve never cheated and I’ve never been cheated on. I’m not that type of guy. If I’ve got eyes for somebody then I commit to them."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Michael Griffiths 27 from Liverpool
Occupation: Firefighter
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Love Island 2019 contestants Michael Griffiths "If I like somebody then I’ll go for it. There’s not really anything that could stop me. Everybody I meet will be a new person so they’re not going to be my best mate, so if a girl I’m speaking to is coupled up and we get on, I’m still going to talk to her. I’ll do it in a respectful way but I’m going to talk to her and let her know the situation and see where it goes from there. If she then likes me… sorry! It is how it is."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Michael Griffiths "I’m a straight-talking guy, I’ll tell people how it is. I’m open and energetic, so I’m easy to get along with. The three worst things about me? Again, I’m a straight-talking guy and people don’t always like the truth. Even though it’s one of the best things about me, it’s also one of the worst. I’ll just say it how it is. I eat a lot, little and often, people might find that quite annoying. I’m always late!"
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Love Island 2019 contestants Michael Griffiths "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."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Curtis Pritchard 23 from Shropshire
Occupation: Ballroom and Latin Dancer
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Love Island 2019 contestants Curtis Pritchard "The thing that makes me the perfect Love Islander is that I’m just going to be myself. I’m going to be me. I don’t have to act like anything, I don’t have to teach anyone how to dance, like my normal job! I can just be myself and have fun."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Curtis Pritchard "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. I’ve met everyone in person, which I think is better. All of this meeting people on social media and apps is fake. People portray their life how they want it to be and it isn’t how they truly are. I like to meet people in real life."
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Love Island 2019 contestants Curtis Pritchard "I will be loyal. I have cheated before, but that isn’t why I split with that girlfriend. I will always be loyal from now on."
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