ITV deny claims staff arranged secret deals with talent agencies to represent Love Island contestants
- The Sun reported that the broadcaster launched an investigation over concerns about two unnamed talent agencies who often represent reality TV stars
- The publication claimed these agencies sometimes approached future contestants just hours after they were announced to be taking part in the show
- An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline that they do not get involved in Love Islanders’ talent representation, which is entirely at the contestants’ discretion
- There is no suggestion that any of the Love Island finalists who flew back to Stansted Airport on Wednesday were involved
- Latest news and updates on all of your favourite Love Island contestants
ITV have denied claims that staff were arranging deals with talent agents to represent Love Island contestants before they had even took part in the show.
The Sun reported that the broadcaster launched an internal investigation over concerns about two unnamed talent agencies who often represent reality TV stars.
The publication claimed these agencies sometimes approached future contestants just hours after they were announced to be taking part in the show, prompting fears that staff may be tipping off agents – and receiving a cut for it.
Statement: ITV have denied claims that staff were arranging deals with agents to represent Love Island contestants before they had even took part in the show (pictured 2022 winners Davide Sanclimenti and Ekin-Su Culculoglu – there is no suggestion they were involved)
An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline that they do not get involved in Love Islanders’ talent representation, which is entirely at the contestants’ discretion.
They said: ‘We do not have financial arrangements in place with talent agents, nor do we have any involvement in which management applicants for the show are signed to.
‘Once contestants have taken part in the show, as part of our ongoing duty of care and welfare process, we support those who do not have representation in finding suitable management but it is always at their discretion who they decide to sign with.’
It was also reported that up to eight talent agencies had expressed concerns to ITV that other agencies were being given special treatment.
Deals: The Sun reported that the broadcaster launched an internal investigation over concerns about two unnamed talent agencies who often represent reality TV stars (pictured 2022 runners-up Gemma Owen and Luca Bish – there is no suggestion they were involved)
Some are also said to have felt that certain islanders were given favourable edits, therefore improving their chances of winning.
It is claimed one agency repeatedly discovered islanders identities in advance of them appearing on the show and then signed them up before the series aired.
When rival agencies flew to Majorca to pitch themselves to the contestants, they reportedly felt that decisions had already been made.
A source said: ‘In recent years there’s become a number of concerns that deals were a foregone conclusion and any lobbying was a waste of time and money.
Claims: The publication claimed these agencies sometimes approached future contestants just hours after they were announced to be taking part in the show, prompting fears that staff may be tipping off agents – and receiving a cut for it (pictured finalists Dami Hope and Indiyah Polack – there is no suggestion they were involved)
‘That has led to suspicions someone is earning an extra bit of cash to point them to one of two ‘favoured’ agencies.’
There is no suggestion that any of the islanders who flew back to Stansted Airport on Wednesday were involved.
These include winners Ekin-Su Culcologlu and Davide Sanclimenti and finalists Gemma Owen and Luca Bish, Indiyah Polack and Dami Hope and Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page.
Ekin-Su and Davide were crowned the winners of Love Island 2022 on Monday night, and voting figures have revealed they secured more than half of the public vote.
Across Sunday and Monday, viewers were able to vote for their favourite couple to be crowned as winners and go home with the £50,000 cash prize – which for the first time ever wasn’t offered as a ‘split or steal’ deal.
And final voting figures released by ITV have revealed that fan favourites Ekin-Su and Davide, both 27, secured a staggering 63.69 per cent of the public vote.
They won the ITV2 dating contest by a landslide as runners-up Gemma and Luca secured just 14.47 per cent of the viewers’ final votes.
Gemma and Luca followed behind as runners-up, while Indiyah Polack and Dami Hope came in third place and Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page were fourth.
And after Ekin-Su and Davide’s landslide victory, the Essex-based actress has already been tipped to become the show’s highest earner in history.
She has already scooped £25,000 in prize money, and a source has told MailOnline she’s already being inundated with lucrative offers, meaning she could surpass multi-millionaire Molly-Mae Hague, 23, who was runner-up on the 2019 series, to become the show’s richest ever star.
Ekin-Su, who entered the villa on the third day as a bombshell, has already had a taste of the spotlight, having starred in Turkish soap operas and reality shows before entering the Love Island villa, and the brunette is now set to cash in with an estimated £1 million payday.
A source close to Ekin-Su told MailOnline: ‘We’ve never seen the likes of the deals that are already coming through the door. It’s not just your typical reality TV fodder.
‘She’s absolutely inundated with lucrative offers from brands and they’re prepared to pay big money to get her onboard. She’s going to be the new Molly-Mae Hague!’
Speaking out: An ITV spokesperson told MailOnline that they do not get involved in Love Islanders’ talent representation, which is entirely at the contestants’ discretion
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