George Knight, a contestant on the current season of Love Island UK, has exited the show just days after the premiere due to a family matter. The 28-year-old professional football player announced his departure on Instagram, stating: “Family comes first, always. Leaving the @loveisland Villa was a decision made in order to be with my family. Out of respect for them, I’d prefer not to go into any further detail.”
A spokesperson for the show confirmed the news to Variety, saying: “For private reasons, George has left the ‘Love Island’ Villa.” Knight entered the villa on Day 2 as a bombshell alongside fellow contestant Yasmin Hadlow.
The new season of Love Island UK began airing on June 1 and features 14 contestants in total, including Knight, Hadlow, Aidan Murphy, Angelista Gunda, Ellie Chadwick, Jasmine Müller, Lola Deal, Lorenzo Alessi, Mica Harris, Ope Sowande, Robyn Langton, Sam Workman, Samraj Toor, and Seán Fitzgerald.
The exit comes as Love Island USA also premiered this week, which made headlines after contestant Vasana Montgomery was removed before the premiere for using a racial slur. Montgomery apologised on Instagram, saying: “I want to address a couple videos from my teen years that have recently resurfaced. In those videos, I used a racial slur. There is no excuse for it, and I am deeply sorry.” Episodes of Love Island UK are available on Hulu and Disney+ three days after their UK broadcast.
