Criminals and abusers caught trying to nab a place on Love Island

Convicted criminals were caught trying to land a place on Winter Love Island after show bosses implemented the government’s Disclosure & Barring Service in their background checks. 

All potential contestants go through a rigorous screening service before they are accepted for the show, including STD tests and criminal background checks. 

Show bosses also inspect the Islanders’ social media for any troubling material and put in place physical and mental health assessments for the Islanders. 

Applications for this year’s series – which finished on Monday when Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan were crowned the winners – saw multiple past offenders attempt to star on the show. 

A source told The Sun: ‘We’ve never had a #MeToo horror pop up because we won’t move forward with a potential contestant if we find something unsettling about their history along those lines.’

The insider continued: ‘We have ramped up all the checks even more as part of the promise to do more to protect our Islanders.

‘It also sets a clear standard that certain behaviours will not be accepted or ignored if they happen.’

ITV have been contacted for comment. 

Prior to the winter series launch, ITV shared their comprehensive package of welfare measures for programme contributors to ensure stars are fully supported before, during and after the filming period.

As part of extended measures to protect both the Islanders and their families from ‘the adverse effects of social media’, participants were asked to pause handles and accounts on their social media platforms for the duration of their time on the show.

Additionally, ahead of entering the Villa, Islanders received guidance and training around mutually respectful behaviour in relationships.

Participants were offered resource links to ‘read up on, in advance of meeting their fellow Islanders, to help them identify negative behaviours in relationships and understand the behaviour patterns associated with controlling and coercive behaviour’.

ITV added that stars continued to be offered video training and guidance covering inclusive language around disability, sexuality, race and ethnicity, and microaggressions.

The change in guidelines came after Love Island received more than 5,000 Ofcom complaints during last year’s series, with viewers sharing their concerns about ‘misogynistic behaviour and bullying’. 

Shocking: Applications for this year’s series – which finished on Monday when Kai Fagan and Sanam Harrinanan were crowned the winners – saw multiple past offenders attempt to apply

 The Winter Love Island stars are expected to feel a massive impact on their outreach after bosses put on a social media ban on thecast’s families representing them while they are in the villa.

Many no doubt hope to go on to forge lucrative careers as influencers and gain clothing brands, and they will have to work fast to try to build their online following once they are given back their phones.

Only 1.1 million people tuned in to see Kai and Sanam crowned the winners of Love Island this series.

This was the lowest for a final of the show since series two of the show, and a huge drop from last year’s 3 million.

Love Island was also beaten on the night by The Last Of Us final on Sky Atlantic at 1.2 million.

Low ratings: Only 1.1 million people tuned in to see Kai and Sanam crowned the winners of Love Island this series

Despite the low viewership it was revealed that Kai and Sanam won by a landslide, receiving a whopping 44 percent of the votes.

Ron Hall and Lana Jenkins came in at 30 percent of the votes, while Samie Elishi and Tom Clare got 24 percent.

Tanya Manhenga and Shaq Muhammad only scored 2 per cent of the final vote.

The winter series of Love Island pulled in around 1.2 million for the series opener, another drop from last year, which garnered 2.4 million.