Entertainment
Love Island 2021: Former winner Amber Davies claims series is more ‘cut-throat’ than ever
Amber believes Love Island has become more ‘cut-throat’ for 2021 series (Picture: Rex/Shutterstock)
Amber Davies, a former winner of Love Island, has claimed that this year’s series is more ‘cut-throat’ than ever, expressing her belief that ITV ‘wanted to spice things up a little bit’.
On last night’s episode of Love Island, Danny Bibby and AJ Bunker became the latest contestants to be dumped from the island after being chosen by their fellow islanders.
Seven islanders have already been axed from the show so far since it began in late June, while there are 15 singletons still in the villa at the moment.
Amber, who’s starred in shows including West End play 9 to 5 and CBBC programme Almost Never, won Love Island in 2017 with Kem Cetinay.
The 24-year-old said that while she ‘will never criticise the show’, recalling how the series ‘gave me so many opportunities’ and ‘started my career’, she’s noticed that the contestants appear to be being dumped ‘a lot quicker’ this year.
‘I think they recognised that it became a bit predictable and wanted to spice things up a little bit and I think it’s worked – but it is cut-throat for the contestants,’ she told The Sun.
Danny and AJ became the latest islanders to leave the villa (Picture: ITV)
‘They toned down the sex a few years back, and they took away the smoking area, which was a great move. It’s important that this is a show on at 9pm, it needs to be more about drama and entertainment, gossip and arguments.’
Amber said that there doesn’t seem to be a settling in phase for some islanders, as if they don’t ‘shine’, they ‘leave’.
Amber couldn’t believe it when she and Kem won Love Island (Picture: ITV/Rex/Shutterstock)
‘Now it’s like, “If you can’t find love, or you’re not liked by the public, you’re off.” There is no bedding-in period, you have to shine or leave,’ she said.
The actor added that while some viewers may criticise people who go on the show to nab sponsorship deals, she doesn’t judge them at all, thinking ‘good on ya’ as the deals are ‘probably much more likely than a relationship’.
She also noted that while she isn’t personally attracted to any of the guys on the 2021 series, she’s watching from a different perspective as a former islander.
More: Love Island
Amber and Kem split four months after leaving the villa as champions in December 2017.
Kem, 25, recently admitted that he ‘regrets having so much sex in the villa’, although he also said that he wasn’t ‘embarrassed’ because ‘I wasn’t who I am now’.
Love Island returns tonight at 9pm and is available to watch on ITV Hub.
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