Love Island has received more than 200 complaints over the inclusion of Ollie Williams as a contestant, following reports he is involved in “trophy hunting”.
Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom confirmed it had received 231 complaints after pictures emerged online apparently showing him posing with dead animals.
According to Companies House, the 23-year-old is the sole director of Cornish Sporting Agency, registered at Lanhydrock, Cornwall, which lists the nature of the business as “hunting” and “trapping”.
Williams, who is heir to the Lanhydrock estate in Cornwall, is one of the contestants on the winter series of Love Island.
The ITV2 show started on Sunday and many viewers posted messages on social media saying they did not think Williams deserved his spot in the villa.
A petition on the website Change.org – entitled Remove Ollie Williams From Winter Love Island For Trophy Hunting! – has more than 27,000 signatures.
Wildlife TV presenter Chris Packham shared a link to the petition on Twitter, writing: “Hello @ITV and @LoveIsland fans.
Hello @ITV and @LoveIsland fans . The majority of people in the U.K. want to see an end to trophy hunting so perhaps it would be better to not provide a platform to anyone who kills wildlife for fun . Times are changing – will you ? https://t.co/LYWqDhJXLV
— Chris Packham (@ChrisGPackham) January 13, 2020
“The majority of people in the UK want to see an end to trophy hunting so perhaps it would be better to not provide a platform to anyone who kills wildlife for fun.
“Times are changing – will you?”
Representatives for Love Island have been contacted for comment.