I Kissed A Boy star Ollie King has revealed he almost went on Love Island to "mess up" the format of the hit ITV2 show.
He finally got the reality show he’d always dreamed of when he took part in the UK's first gay dating series, I Kissed A Boy.
However, Ollie’s now revealed he previously attempted to get on Love Island in a bid to raise awareness for the lack of same-sex relationships on-screen.
Related: I Kissed A Boy's Subomi promises drama at the reunion show
Chatting in a recent interview, Ollie shared he attempted to pull off a Love Island "scandal".
"I did actually apply for Love Island a few years back," he told Metro. "I got through a lot of stages, but I did actually say that I was bisexual. It was a white lie."
Related: I Kissed A Boy host Dannii Minogue confirms I Kissed A Girl is coming
In the past, winning Love Island couples were offered the chance to "steal" or "split" the £50,000 prize fund. However, as nobody ever stole the money, the twist was eventually scrapped in 2022.
Detailing his Love Island sabotage plot, Ollie said stealing the money was a pivotal part of his plan.
"I know it sounds sad, but I wanted to go there and steal the money when you could for the scandal," he said. "Then it would come out that 'Ollie is not actually bi, he’s gay and he’s stolen the money'.
Related: Love Island's Tyrique makes his choice in love triangle
"My whole prerogative was to be like, 'Where’s our representation? Where’s our dating shows?'
"If I can go on there and claim I’m bi, hopefully, I can get to the end and steal the money or whatever and then basically just mess up a whole system of it. I would have been a hero in the gay world."
Unfortunately, Ollie fell at the final hurdle and didn’t quite make it onto the show.
"I feel like when it comes to the social media checks, they sniffed me out," he remarked.
Ollie instead got his happily-ever-after on BBC's I Kissed A Boy as he met his boyfriend Dan Harry on the Dannii Minogue-fronted dating show.
I Kissed A Boy airs on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.
Love Island airs on ITV2, and is available via catch up on ITVX and BritBox.
News Editor, Digital Spy
Emma is an experienced entertainment news journalist with NCTJ accreditation and a First-Class Honours Degree in Journalism. Having started her career as a broadcast journalist, Emma’s voice has been heard on varying radio stations across the UK including Absolute, Magic, BBC Three Counties Radio, LBC London News and more.
Later specialising in multimedia entertainment news, Emma has brushed shoulders with numerous famous faces and interviewed the likes of Edward Norton, Margot Robbie, Sir Michael Palin, Rick Astley, and too many soap stars to count. Having produced a range of engaging news content over the years for brands such as 7Digital’s Entertainment News, Yahoo, and Express Online, Emma eventually joined Digital Spy in 2022 as Deputy News Editor, becoming Acting News Editor in 2023 and then News Editor in 2024.
While she’s gained lots of praise during celebrity interviews throughout her career, the most memorable compliment Emma’s ever received was when a Game of Thrones star remarked "Your teeth are stunning!". LinkedIn
