Love Island's biggest pre-villa scandals as Islander axed after machete arrest

Daily Mirror

3 days ago

Kyle Ashman has left the Love Island villa after ITV bosses were alerted to his past arrest. The star was released with no further action from police and says he 'fully cooperated' with the investigation
Love Island hasn't even started yet, and already this year's series is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Kyle Ashman, who is one of the original cast members that was slated to enter the Spanish villa this month, has been removed from the line-up after news of a past arrest surfaced.
Unfortunately, this is just the latest in a historical line of pre-villa controversies to hit the reality show. Kyle, 23, was dropped by ITV after it emerged he had been arrested and questioned by police in connection with a violent incident earlier this year. Staffordshire Police confirmed that two men were arrested on suspicion of wounding following a fight involving masked individuals and weapons outside a Stafford social club.
‌
‌
In a statement from the police, they said: "We were called to a social club on Riverway, Stafford, at 7.40pm on Friday 28 February following reports that someone had been glassed outside and a fight was taking place. Some of the men involved were wearing masks and were carrying weapons. Two men went to hospital after suffering injuries at the scene. Both have since been discharged.
"A man and a woman suffered minor injuries at the scene but did not want any medical treatment. A 22-year-old man, from Stafford, was arrested on suspicion of wounding and affray. Another man, also 22 and from Stafford, was arrested on suspicion of affray. Both were released with no further action."
Although Kyle was later released by the cops who took no further action in relation to him, ITV made a quick decision after hearing about the situation.
A spokesperson for the show said: "For personal reasons, Kyle will not be entering the Love Island Villa as planned." Kyle has strongly denied any involvement in the incident, saying: "I fully cooperated with this police investigation and made it very clear that I had no involvement in this incident. I am not a violent person and any suggestion otherwise is a mischaracterisation."
This is the most recent scandal to erupt before the Love Island cameras even start rolling. In 2023, contestant George Fensom faced backlash after his old tweets were found to have homophobic slurs in them.
‌
George publicly apologised and claimed that the tweets, which were posted when he was a teenager, did not reflect who he was anymore. At the time, he told the Mirror: "In regards to the account, it's really unfortunate that it's been brought up because that isn't the person that I am today.
"Looking back on those tweets, I was really naïve and really young to think that was the right thing to say. It's one of them situations, it doesn't show the man that I am today in any way, shape or form and that's pretty much it."
George then faced further controversy after an ex-girlfriend posted a viral TikTok accusing him of being "controlling" and "narcissistic". Despite calls for him to be pulled from the show, ITV allowed him to remain. He called these claims "unfortunate and upsetting", but decided not to comment on the specifics due to her not being in the public eye.
‌
In 2022, Love Island fans were left in hysterics as a Twitter user incorrectly claimed new Islander Andrew Le Page had stolen her daughter's handbag in Sainsbury's.
The tweet quickly went viral, but internet sleuths were able to prove the claim wrong by having a look at Andrew's Instagram page, which placed him in Dubai at the time of the alleged theft.
‌
Former Love Island winner Amber Gill joked that the woman making the accusation should be placed in the villa to hash it out with Andrew.
Chloe Burrows also started her time on the reality show under a cloud in 2021 after she was accused of having an affair with a married man by a woman who claimed to be the alleged man's daughter.
Chloe denied ever being a personal assistant to a married men, and insisted the comments she made in her Love Island audition tape about liking men who were already wifed up had been "massively taken out of context".
In 2020, aristocrat Ollie Williams exited the villa after just two days when viewers discovered photos of him trophy hunting big game in Africa.
He claimed he was leaving to reunite with an ex girlfriend, but pressure from the public in the form of a petition with over 35,000 signatures and 467 Ofcom complaints about him likely helped to seal his departure. It later came out that he used to run a company that sold hunting holidays and trained people on how to kill lions in South Africa.