Love Island: Aftersun hit with Ofcom complaints as viewers accuse hosts of ‘Slut Shaming’ Ekin-Su

Love Island has attracted a considerable amount of controversy over the years and has again come under fire, with fans taking aim at host Laura Whitmore and the producers.

Last Sunday’s episode (17 July) of the spin-off show Aftersun sparked 427 complaints to Ofcom.

Here is everything you need to know.

Why has Love Island: Aftersun come under fire?

The complaints came after a conversation between Laura Whitmore and guests about Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and George Tasker, in which they implied that something had occurred when the pair shared a bed in Casa Amor.

Ekin-Su has denied the claims, telling her current partner Davide Sanclimenti that nothing happened.

Laura said: ‘Once again, Ekin-Su swore that nothing happened with George, and it seems Davide doesn’t believe her.’

Musician Tom Grennan, who appeared as a guest, added: ‘It deffo happened though, didn’t it?”

Darren Harriott said: “She said her head never turned, but I think her hand might have turned, and possibly wrist.”

Fans were also unimpressed at the treatment of former islander Jacques O’Neill following his emotional departure from the villa for mental health reasons.

The rugby player decided to remove himself from the villa to save his relationship with fellow islander Paige Thorne.

His departure came days after his family took to social media to ask viewers to be kind to the 23-year-old, sharing that his behaviour on the show could be linked to an ADHD diagnosis he got when he was nine.

How did fans react?

Viewers were quick to take to social media, blasting the show for ‘slut shaming’ Ekin-Su, with Laura also receiving backlash for encouraging the comments.

The handler for Ekin-Su’s Twitter account tweeted: “The fact that the slut shaming is being passed off as banter and good television is very concerning at this rate.”

One viewer said: “Seeing this debate being ENCOURAGED on live tv is horrible and ironic for a show that cares so much about mental health. So I sent in my complaint.”

Another person commented: “Slut shaming is sexual harassment and a form of bullying. Things you can’t do in life regardless of what the setting is. I hope Ekin-Su sues Love Island because the fact that the host is condoning sexual harassment is unbelievable.”

What does ‘slut shaming’ mean?

Slut-shaming is the practice of disparaging women and occasionally men for acting in a manner that violates the norms regarding sexually appropriate behaviour.

It usually involves someone criticising a women for wearing revealing clothing or having multiple sexual partners.

What has ITV said?

ITV has defended the spin-off show and Laura Whitmore, insisting they do not condone trolling or "any subsequent elevation" of comments.

“Laura is the presenter of the show, and part of that role is to pose questions to the panel and discuss events in the villa,” a spokesperson told Metro.co.uk.

They added: “We do not condone trolling against either our host or our Islanders and any subsequent elevation of these comments.”

In regard to the criticism of the Jacques interview, ITV said: “We had various measures in place to ensure Jacques’ welfare was prioritised at all times ahead of and during his appearance on Aftersun.

“This included a full briefing with show producers to outline the show’s content and likely questioning, a conversation with Laura before and after the show was recorded, and chaperoning from both a welfare producer and a member of his family while he was in the studio.

“Should an Islander not wish to participate in the Aftersun recording, we would always respect that decision.”

Who is Ekin-Su?

Ekin-Su Culculoglu is a Turkish actress and influencer from Essex who stars on a programme called Kuzey Yildizi.

The 27-year-old arrived in the Love Island villa as one of two bombshells and has since become a fan favourite.

It was recently revealed that the star is related to London-based rapper Central Cee who is best known for hit singles such as ‘Loading’ and ‘Commitment Issues’.