Laura Whitmore 'upset' by Love Island toff Ollie Williams' 'trophy hunting' pics
13 January 2020, 12:24
Like a lot of Love Island viewers, new presenter Laura is less than impressed with posh contestant Ollie's bloodthirsty hobby.
Laura Whitmore is 'upset' that Love Island star Ollie Williams has been exposed as a trophy hunter.
The Irish presenter has been enlisted to stand in for Caroline Flack while she awaits trial for assaulting her boyfriend last month.
The Sun reports that Laura, girlfriend of voice over star Ian Stirling, said: “I saw pictures of one Islander when I came back to London that did really upset me.
“It did make me sad. I just want to acknowledge that.”
There have been all sorts of people in the Love Island villa, but Ollie is the first one to shoot animals for fun.
The Cornwall-born aristocrat is waiting for Cupid to take aim at him as he looks to couple up in the winter edition of the sexy reality show - which makes a change from him being at the other end of the viewfinder.
Over the weekend it emerged that the blonde-haired singleton - who has an eerie resemblance to EastEnders love rat Max Branning - is the listed as the Director of a company that arranges shooting holidays to Africa, and pictures of him next to a series of dead animals hints that he's a crack shot, too.
The 23-year-old is heir to the Lanhydrock Estate in Cornwall, and also the boss of Cornish Sporting Agency.
The company's website and Instagram has been taken down, but according to The Sun, in one photo Ollie can be seen grinning next to a dead animal with the caption: “You’ve gotta love it when you put your binos up and see a bull like this on the other end!
“Another happy client with his awesome eland bull! Enquire on the website today!”
The company also organised bird shooting parties in the South West of England, and deer stalking trips in New Zealand.
One of the dead animals Ollie poses with has been identified as a type of antelope called the giant eland, which has been listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
It is already extinct in The Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo after being over hunted.
However, a friend of Ollie said that he would only shoot "sick animals" as he is a conservationist, not a hunter.
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.
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"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."
ITV has denied requests from viewers to kick him out of the show, claiming the pictures are a "moral issue" rather than serious wrongdoing.
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