Love Island bosses have dismissed reports about Joe Garratt’s elimination, which suggested he’s in a special “safehouse” after leaving the villa.
The catering company owner left the villa in Tuesday night’s show, which came after he proved unpopular with viewers, many of whom have complained to TV watchdog Ofcom about his behaviour towards partner Lucie Donlan.
Following his elimination, The Sun ran a story suggesting he was being “holed up in a safehouse”, where he could be briefed about the criticism his behaviour has attracted.
However, when contacted by HuffPost UK, a Love Island rep insisted this was not the case, and that Joe was being held in the same post-villa accommodation that all contestants are taken to after being voted off the show.
Last year, HuffPost UK spoke to several former contestants about what happens when you leave Love Island, with Jonny Mitchell recalling his time in a “lockdown villa” to prevent news of his elimination leaking before the show aired.
The second villa has the same restrictions as the main one – no mobile phones or laptops, no contact with the outside world, including family – with dumped Islanders having only a chaperone for company.
“It’s boring, there’s nothing to do there,” Jonny told us. “I’d just had five weeks of sunbathing so I didn’t really want to do anymore. I was going out of my mind a little bit.”
As well as viewers’ complaints to Ofcom, Joe has also faced criticism from organisations like Women’s Aid, for the way he treated Lucie, particularly over his attempts to tell her who she should be friends with in the villa.
A Women’s Aid rep said: “Controlling behaviour is never acceptable, and with Love Island viewers complaining to Ofcom in record numbers about Joe’s possessive behaviour towards Lucie, more people are becoming aware of this and want to challenge it.
“Abusive relationships often start off with subtle signs of control, so it’s important that it is recognised at an early stage.”
Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2.