Those who tuned into Love Island in search of answers to Sherif Lanre’s mysterious departure were left disappointed last night, as the show skimmed over his sudden exit.
Fans were left bemused and annoyed after the episode failed to shed any light on the events that led to him leaving the villa.
News broke on Tuesday that Sherif and ITV had “mutually agreed” he should walk away from the reality show after breaking a rule.
While speculation over the reason for his exit grew online, bosses decided not to give any more details in the episode.
Instead, narrator Iain Stirling made a fleeting mention to his departure half-way through the show, before life in the villa carried on as if nothing had happened.
“Earlier today, following conversations with producers, Sherif left the villa,” Iain was heard saying. “But for the other Islanders, it’s another day in paradise.”
The handling of the situation drew swathes of criticism online...
A spokesperson for the show had previously said: “After breaking the villa rules Sherif had conversations with the producers and it was mutually agreed that he would leave the Love Island villa.”
They declined to comment further when approached by HuffPost UK.
Sherif himself added: “In a case of poor judgement, I broke the villa rules and as a result agreed with the producers that it was best for me to leave the villa.
“I regret that I didn’t conduct myself in the right way and, as a 20 year old guy, it’s something I know I will take on board and learn from.
“I really enjoyed my time in the villa and look forward to catching up with everyone on the outside.”
Love Island continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2.