Another contestant has left the Love Island Villa under exceptional circumstances, weeks after bombshell George Knight swiftly left the series for family reasons. On Sunday (28 June), Love Island's latest Casa Amor twist took an unexpected turn when viewers tuned in to realise one bombshell was missing from the roster of new islanders.
ITV has since confirmed that contestant Gabriel Garland had left the villa, mere hours after making his Love Island debut. The 24-year-old was introduced as one of six new Casa Amor boys during Sunday's episode of the ITV2 series before being discreetly edited out of the footage.
A spokesperson for Love Island said: "Gabriel has now left the villa and will not be returning. We will not be commenting further out of a duty of care towards participants." ITV has not provided any further explanation for Gabriel's exit beyond confirming he had left.
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London-based Gabriel has worked as a model and was hoping to find someone with both intelligence and emotional maturity during his time in Casa Amor, adding that he had his eye on both Priya and Jasmine. However, shortly after his arrival was broadcast, he was reportedly linked to a legal case dating back to 2019.
According to court documents, Gabriel was named in the conviction of Vitor Mazzer, who was found guilty on two counts of intended bodily harm on New Year's Eve after an altercation. Gabriel was 17 years old at the time.
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Documents then claim the altercation had involved Gabriel before the stabbing occurred, but Gabriel was never charged with any offence, and the court made no finding of wrongdoing against him. Vitor Mazzer, on the other hand, was sentenced to 42 months behind bars and his appeal against his conviction was dismissed in April 2024.
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Because Gabriel had no criminal conviction, reports suggest the incident was not identified during ITV's standard background checks. But questions about his absence still surfaced online following Sunday's episode.
One viewer was surprised by how brief Gabriel's stay in the villa had been, writing: "Wait, Gabriel didn't even enter the villa?" Meanwhile, another added: "The producers need to learn how to carry out a background check properly and i don’t think there’ll be another boy who will take Gabriel’s spot." Gabriel has yet to break his silence about his sudden exit.
Gabriel has become the second contestant to leave this year's series before even beginning his journey under a cloud, following George Knight's abrupt exit. The former bombshell left the Villa for "family reasons," although rumours alleged he'd been approached by producers over comments branded awkward behind the scenes - but these allegations have never been confirmed.
With Gabriel now out of the picture, the focus is set to quickly return to the remaining boys and girls, as viewers expect connections to be put through the ultimate test during this Monday's instalment.
Love Island continues this Monday (29 June) from 9pm on ITV2.
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