Love Island fans call for 'bloodthirsty' Ollie Williams to be axed as hunting past is revealed
12 January 2020, 13:08 | Updated: 12 January 2020, 13:16
Animal lovers have branded the viscount-in-waiting 'disgusting' and have started an online petition to get him removed from the line-up.
Love Island fans have called for millionaire contestant Ollie Williams to be axed from the ITV2 show after his hunting past was revealed.
The 23-year-old, who is set to enter the villa in South Africa tonight, has sparked fury on social media as now-deleted images of him posing next to dead animals surfaced online.
The Sun claimed the Cornish viscount-in-waiting was a big game hunter who allegedly killed animals including warthogs, water buffalo and antelopes during work trips to Africa.
Animal lovers were outraged by the reports and launched a petition via change.org calling for producers to remove the Islander from the 2020 line-up.
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The description of 'Remove Ollie Williams from Winter Love Island for Trophy Hunting!' read: "Ollie Williams who is due to enter Winter Love Island has been exposed as a bloodthirsty big trophy hunter.
"He has proudly posed with an array of dead endangered animals including warthog and water buffalos among other animals he killed in Africa in order to promote his hunting business, Cornish Sporting Agency.
"The disgusting photos were posted on an Instagram account that was deleted before it was announced that Ollie would be one of the contestants joining the winter series of Love Island in South Africa.
"ITV allowing him to be on the show is implying that they are okay with his sick and sadistic hobby.
"Ollie Williams should not be allowed to take part or compete in the Love Island series and he should not be allowed on a such a public platform."
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Love Island viewers took to social media to share their outrage, branding the heir to the multi-million pound Lanhydrock estate as "disgusting".
"Honestly if @LoveIsland still airs with Ollie in it, definitely not watching winter or summer series again. How you let someone on air who destroys animals for fun is disgusted, @itv2 should be ashamed!," said one furious Twitter user.
Another wrote: "Disappointed in @ITV allowing Ollie Williams into the love island villa when there are photos of him posing with dead animals he’s killed for fun #notgettingmyvote #LoveIsland #LoveIsland2020."
While a third raged: "How @LoveIsland can let that Ollie Williams in the villa for fame when there’s pictures of him enjoying hunting trips in South Africa is beyond me, losing millions of animals in Australia at the moment meanwhile promoting someone who purposely kills animals for fun #SortItOut."
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The Instagram account promoting Ollie's business was deleted before it was announced he would be starring in the 2020 series.
However ITV denied reports he "hunted big game for fun" and assured fans he was involved in animal conservation instead.
A spokesperson said: "It is categorically untrue to suggest Ollie is involved in hunting for sport.
"Ollie is a passionate conservationist and worked with an anti-poaching unit in Mozambique.
"Conservation is crucial to the survival of animals and as part of that work Ollie was involved in the culling of sick animals who were a threat to the health of the herd.
"There is a very big and important difference between trophy hunting and the conversation work Ollie has previously been involved in.
"At no point has Ollie organised or booked anybody to go to Africa to shoot game."
Winter Love Island stars tonight on ITV2 at 9.00pm.
