
The next singleton looking to find true love on Love Island is said to be the show’s first partially sighted contestant.
Speculation has grown about who might be partying in the villa, with ITV maintaining tight-lipped, however a Boohoo ambassador and a model have been mentioned.
Another name has been added to the mix, and they may be quarantining in South Africa, where the winter edition is located.
The Islanders will be hunting for love in a lavish £1.2million pad, complete with an Olympic training pool and 400m jogging track, hosted for the first time by Maya Jama, who succeeds outgoing presenter Laura Whitmore.
According to reports, Ron Hall, a 26-year-old financial worker from Essex, will be among them.
‘The casting team is ecstatic about the agreement,’ a source added. More diversity on-screen is a huge step forward, especially since there are so few blind individuals on television.
They continued to told The Sun: ‘Ron is great guy, he’s got loads of mates and is sports mad, he loves golf and has recently taken up boxing.
‘He’s keen to meet new people and, hopefully, find love.
‘He’s also really open about his disability and is hoping to raise awareness and help others by discussing it on screen.’
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Ron only has a handful of Instagram posts, with the first dating back to 2021, but has shared pictures of himself dressed in Hawaiian shirts with pals and at a Rag’n’Bone Man gig.
If he is to head to South Africa, Ron will be among the first contestants to have to disable their social media accounts during the programme to protect both them and their families in revamped welfare rules.
For the first time, the broadcaster will ask islanders to make their accounts ‘dormant’ while they are in the villa so nothing can be published on their behalf and they avoid ‘the adverse effects of social media’.
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Contestants will also receive ‘guidance and training’ around ‘mutually respectful behaviour in relationships’ after the most recent series prompted thousands of complaints to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom.
Many of the complaints related to ‘alleged misogynistic and bullying behaviour’ although they were not upheld.
Islanders also will be offered resource links to read before meeting the other contestants to help them ‘identify negative behaviours in relationships’ and ‘understand the behaviour patterns associated with controlling and coercive behaviour’.
Love Island returns Monday, January 16 at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.