A 24-year-old contestant on the UK version of Love Island has been removed from the show after a connection to a stabbing incident in London was revealed.
Gabriel Garland, who briefly appeared on Sunday night's episode as one of six Casa Amor male contestants, will not be returning to the ITV2 dating reality series. An ITV spokesperson confirmed that Garland had left the villa and would not be participating further in the show.
According to court documents, Garland was involved in an altercation with individuals stabbed by Vitor Mazzer during a New Year's Eve incident in 2019 in south-east London. Mazzer was convicted of two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent and sentenced to 42 months in prison.
Garland's mother had given a character statement for her son, who was 17 at the time of the incident. He was not charged with any offense, but his connection to the stabbing was only recently discovered by producers.
This is not the first controversy surrounding Love Island this season. Two contestants on the US version were removed from the show earlier in June after historical social media posts emerged showing them using racial slurs. Alannah Keyser and Vasana Montgomery both apologized for their actions, which occurred years ago.
Love Island's production company has faced criticism over its background checks, with some questioning how Garland was able to participate on the show despite his connection to the stabbing incident.
The UK version of Love Island is currently in season 13.