Love Island faced a bullying row today after some fans said Zara Deniz Lackenby-Brown was ganged up on in Friday night’s episode – and that a truth or dare game was cruel.
The challenge saw Zara’s love match Tom Clare, 23, admit her rival Olivia Hawkins, 27, had the best face while saying Zara had the best body. The game is a traditional part of the series format but drew negative comments from some fans, who vowed to lodge complaints.
Today, Zara’s brother Alex, 28, said: “She is a very strong woman who knows her own mind – she can handle the drama.”
Zara’s mum Denise added: “We understand people’s concerns when they see she is visibly upset. We know the show is highly edited and that Zara is free to leave at any time.”
Denise, a company director from West London, added: “Zara went into the villa with her eyes wide open, and warned us that we’ll be seeing 24 hours condensed into 50 minutes each night.”
Earlier, Olivia was asked who she is most attracted to during the game and kissed Zara’s man Tom for a dare. Then Aaron Waters, 24, named Zara as the person most likely to talk about him behind his back. Lana Jenkins then named Zara and Tom the least compatible couple.
Dozens took to Twitter to slam her treatment.
Former Coronation Street actress Shobna Gulati said: “I’ve complained to Ofcom – it was a very uncomfortable watch.”
Another fan wrote: “They are bullying Zara. This isn’t even funny, the producers should fix this.”
In a teaser for tonight’s show, Zara is seen brooding and telling Lana: “I can’t be a***d – I’m not just some f***ing booty.”
ITV was approached for comment.
