Love Island has been accused of failing to represent diversity on the All Star series after only one black contestant featured in the lineup.
Former Islander Rachel Finni, 32, told MailOnline she felt ‘outraged’ over the way her close friend Kaz Kamwi was treated throughout her time on the ITV2 show.
Kaz, 29, was dumped this week after she struggled to find a romantic connection, which Rachel says is because producers refused to cast any ex-stars of the show who would be open to pursuing her.
The mother-to-be has hit out at bosses for giving viewers the ‘platform to follow the belief’ that only ‘blonde hair’ and ‘blue eyes’ are ‘attractive’ – rather than inviting Yewande Biala, Priscella Anyabu or Summer Botwe back onto the programme.
And Rachel, who’s eight months pregnant, says it isn’t just the lack of black Islanders that is problematic but also having no Asian representation such as influencers Sharon Gaffka or Kaz Crossley.
Love Island has been accused of failing to represent diversity on the All Star series after only one black contestant has featured in the lineup
Former Islander Rachel Finni (pictured) told MailOnline she felt ‘outraged’ over the way her close friend Kaz Kamwi was treated throughout her time on the ITV2 show
The mother-to-be has hit out at bosses for giving viewers the ‘platform to follow the belief’ that only ‘blonde hair’ and ‘blue eyes’ are ‘attractive’
Kaz was dumped this week after she struggled to find a romantic connection, which Rachel says is because producers refused to cast any ex-stars of the show who would be open to pursuing her
Speaking exclusively, Rachel said: ‘I will always stand by what is right and in addition to that, Kaz is one of my closest friends.
‘Just cast Islanders that find a range of people attractive. Don’t just put someone in there that says their type is tall dark and handsome because that limits it.
‘The show ends in two weeks and up until now there has been a lot of blonde haired, blue eye Islanders in contrast to anything else. There is no representation whatsoever.
‘I know a few people that I would consider black All Star Islanders that weren’t even approached and some that were turned down. There are people to choose from but they are just not on the show.
‘What about Yewande [Biala]? And Samira [Mighty]? And Cynthia [Taiwo]? There’s Summer [Botwe], Deji [Adeniyi], Jordan [Odofin], I can name all of these Islanders off the tip of my tongue, you’re telling me not one, not a single one?
‘There are people from South Africa in there but what about Priscilla [Anyabu]? What about Leanne [Amaning]?
‘You are a TV show that categorises what the general public finds attractive, if you’re representing people in a certain way or not representing them at all, you’re giving viewers the platform to follow those beliefs and make people feel they’re not attractive.’
Kaz had a difficult time in the villa after her ex-boyfriend Tyler Cruickshank made a shock entrance and she was only ever friends with the men she coupled up with
Rachel, who found fame on Love Island in 2021, has questioned why producers haven’t signed the likes of Yewande Biala (pictured) for the All Star series
Priscilla Anyabu (pictured) has also not made the cut after first starring on the winter series alongside current Islanders Molly Smith and Callum Jones in 2020
Rachel says it isn’t just the lack of black Islanders that is problematic but also having no Asian representation such as influencers Sharon Gaffka
Kaz found fame on Love Island in 2021 and was one of the original All Star signings when the series launched earlier this year.
So far she has been the only black contestant to feature but she flew home from South Africa this week after failing to find love and losing her place in the competition.
She had a difficult time in the villa after her ex-boyfriend Tyler Cruickshank made a shock entrance and she was only ever friends with the men she coupled up with.
Rachel says watching Kaz not be considered by any of the show’s bombshells made her emotional and she believes producers, who are responsible for the wellbeing of the cast, let her friend down by not giving her a ‘fair chance’ to meet someone.
She said: ‘It hurts so much more seeing your friend go through it.
‘I have seen men fall to their feet for that woman. She is beautiful and she is very desired.
‘There was no one in there that finds a woman like Kaz attractive… whether they are blue, green, yellow or black.
‘They didn’t put someone in there for her, they put in her ex who would be a talking point, they were broken up, they weren’t on good terms, they were never going to couple up or get back together. They didn’t give her a fair chance.
Rachel says most of the contestants this year have blonde hair and blue eyes and there is ‘no representation whatsoever’ on the All Stars series
The 2021 star says producers should have done more to represent Asian communities as well as different body types on the All Stars series
Former Islander Rachel is currently eight months pregnant with her first baby
‘The false impression people get is when you talk on diversity that you’re expecting a black man to go in there for a black girl. But that’s not the case because you’re attracted to what you’re attracted to.
‘We have spoken since she left the villa and I told her “Kaz, I’m ready to fight someone for you, pregnant or not.” I told her she’s a good person because I was outraged.’
Rachel says producers should have done more to represent Asian communities as well as different body types on the All Stars series, which is currently airing on ITV2.
The season, presented by Love Island host Maya Jama, also doesn’t have any contestants with disabilities, like Tasha Ghouri, the show’s first deaf Islander, and Ron Hall, who is partially sighted.
She added: ‘They need to stop the tokenism because there is nobody in the villa with a disability and no one from any other backgrounds, like south Asian, east Asian, that isn’t represented either like Kaz Crossley, Priya Gopaldas and Sharon Gaffka…
‘It’s just one body type on this show too… the only body diverse Islanders I can think of are Tyne-Lexy and Anna Vakili. Two people in 10 years…’
On Friday night’s episode, a new male bombshell entered the villa, Adam Maxted, who first starred on the show back in 2016.
Adam’s appearance comes after former Islander Theo Campbell took to social media platform X to say he was axed from joining All Stars at the last minute.
On Friday night’s episode, a new male bombshell entered the villa, Adam Maxted, who first starred on the show back in 2016
Adam’s appearance comes after former Islander Theo Campbell took to social media platform X to say he was axed from joining All Stars at the last minute
Alongside a photo of Kaz, Theo said: ‘Imagine wasting five days of your life after being persuaded to start Love Island filming and the rest, for them to say a day before you’re supposed to fly out, nah come in two weeks… huh? No thanks.’
Sources close to the dating show have insisted that Love Island does represent diversity and this has been proven in recent years.
In 2023, Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan became the first non-white contestants to win the £50,000 prize during the winter series while Whitney Adebayo and Lochan Nowacki were finalists in the summer instalment.
After coming off the show, Whitney praised Love Island, saying the series has reinvented itself and it was ‘easy to forget’ she was a black woman ‘because there were so many of us.’
She added: ‘At one point, we dominated. I’ve watched so many Love Island and I’ve never seen this many coloured people, there were so many bonnets and durags.
‘Everyone came from difficult cultures, and everyone was receptive to learning. The white people were doing the Azonto. It was such a great diverse cast. They’ve definitely got a new blueprint.’
Couple Indiyah Polack and Dami Hope have also lauded the show for making strides towards diversity and inclusion.
In June, Dami said: ‘Tonight might be the night I tune into Love Island cause this representation and diversity off the bat is crazy.’
Indiyah has also gone on to host Love Island spinoff show Aftersun alongside Maya and Sam Thompson, as well as this season’s podcast.
MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment.
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