Love Island star Curtis Pritchard has responded to the body-shaming comments made about him while in the villa.
The professional dancer was on the receiving end of cruel remarks on social media and stories in the tabloid press about his weight towards the end of the series.
However, Curtis has brushed the matter off, insisting he has simply enjoyed himself while relaxing in the sunny climes of the Mallorcan villa.
Speaking to The Sun, he said: “All the other lads were in incredible shape, I like to go up and down.
“When I’m dancing I’m up, when I’m enjoying myself I like to eat food.”
He continued: “I’m not going to lie – I probably gained a couple of pounds.
“I won’t deny that at all but I enjoyed it, that’s the thing. It’s the first time I’ve just been myself.”
Curtis’ partner Maura Higgins added that “it’s natural we all gain weight and lose weight”.
A Love Island spokesperson had previously been forced to speak out about the stories and comments published about Curtis.
They said: “It is incredibly irresponsible that any Islander would be body-shamed in this way and we would always discourage anyone from making appearance-based comments that could be hurtful to the islanders and their families.”
Curtis and Maura finished in fourth place during Monday night’s final, which saw Amber Gill and Greg O’Shea triumph over bookies’ favourites Tommy Fury and Molly-Mae Hague.
It was recently announced Curtis and his brother – Strictly Come Dancing’s AJ Pritchard – will serve as a Todrick Hall-inspired coaching role in the forthcoming UK edition of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.