Former Love Island Contestant Shaughna Phillips Advocates For Alteration In Love Island’s Age Prerequisites

As we get ready to indulge in yet another round of flirting, deep chats, and metaphorical eggs in baskets with the return of Love Island for its 2024 summer installment, recent revelations from the All Stars saga have prompted former islander Shaughna Phillips to label a certain facet “disturbing”.

While speaking with the press, Phillips declared Love Island All Stars as “phenomenal,” deeming it the “resuscitation the program needed.” Yet, it has revived her discomfort towards one particular detail of the romantic series.

Without pinpointing individuals, she divulged: “I have no desire to watch a 29-year-old man courting a 19-year-old woman.

Clarifying further, the All Stars cast did not include 19-year-olds, but some viewers expressed their concerns with the age disparities in relationships such as between Tom Clare, 24, and Arabella Chi, 33, as well as the gap between Chris Taylor, 33, and Sophie Piper, 25.

To participate in Love Island the minimum age is 18 years. In the show’s past, Amelia Peters, then 18, joined during the third series but left relatively unseen only two days into Casa Amor.

However, it was Gemma Owen who stirred the pot when she joined the villa at 19 and briefly paired up with Davide Sanclimenti, aged 27. Looking towards the 2024 season, Gigi Simons, daughter of CBB celebrity Lauren Simon, is rumored to step into the villa also at the age of 19.

Phillips continued: “They should consider casting older individuals, maybe some that are parents. Young contestants often don’t hold interest for me. At 25, I was among the more senior participants during my season, a fact I find disheartening.”

Phillips’ suggestion that the application age be limited to those 21 and over would have prevented participants like Molly-Mae Hague, Tommy Fury, and Amber Gill, all of whom entered the show at 20 years old or younger, from ever taking part.