Love Island star Adam Maxted has hit out at the ‘inauthentic’ ITV2 show insisting that if the series was really about finding true love, there would be no need for a cash prize.
The wrester, 33, spoke exclusively to Daily Mail as he reflected on his two villa stints, in 2016 where he finished in fourth place with Katie Salmon and 2024’s All Stars, lasting just a few days before being dumped alongside Arabella Chi.
Claiming his brutal honesty about the series saw him miss out on a place in the latest All Stars, which debuted on Thursday, following a meeting with producers, he said: ‘I was a little bit judgmental of the All Stars set up’.
‘I feel like Love Island isn’t as authentic as when I did it for the first time, [the contestants] are all in same circles, they go to the same events and I’m like “why now all of a sudden you’re on TV would [a relationship between you] work?”‘.
‘Everyone is now very focused on brand development and getting your name out there, and I’m not dissing that, but I do think people will now go on there, especially like an All Stars because they we know how this works,’
Speaking ahead of his appearance at Butlins’ Maximum Pro Wrestling Event, he said that he believed the show and its contestants were having a detrimental effect on younger viewers’ beliefs about relationships.
Love Island star Adam Maxted has hit out at the ‘inauthentic’ ITV2 show insisting that if the series was really about finding true love, there would be no need for a cash prize
The wrester, 33, spoke exclusively to Daily Mail as he reflected on his two villa stints, pictured on 2024’s All Stars with Arabella Chi
Claiming the singletons often strung each other along ahead of ‘something better’, in the form of late arriving bombshells, he said: ‘I think the younger generation, watching this pick up on that,’
‘They might think “Oh you’ve got a great connection with someone, but something better might be around the corner”‘.
‘I think its kind of shows that people are easily disposable and better is maybe around the corner, always the new shiny object’.
Before adding: ‘If this was all about true love there wouldn’t be £50K up for grabs, because you don’t need money if you’ve met an amazing person’.
Adam, who said he was now older, wiser and more emotionally mature, also admitted never having feelings for either Arabella or Katie, despite them dating for a number of weeks following their returns to the UK.
‘I just happened to be on the show with them and [left the villa] with them, when I left with Arabella this time I knew [we wouldn’t stay together]. I mean she was pretty and we got on alright, but when I left the villa I knew she wasn’t for me’.
Daily Mail have contacted ITV for comment.
Adam and Arabella split five weeks after their return to the UK after failing to meet up even once with fans accusing them of faking the romance
He claimed his brutal honesty about the series saw him miss out on a place in the latest All Stars, which debuted on Thursday, following a meeting with producers
Speaking ahead of his Butlins’ Maximum Pro Wrestling Event, he said that he believed the show was having a detrimental effect on younger viewers’ beliefs about relationships
Adam, who said he was now older, wiser and more emotionally mature, also admitted never having feelings for either Arabella or Katie (pictured)
A source told The Sun at the time: ‘They genuinely tried to make it work but every time they arranged to meet up, work got in the way. They’re going to stay friends.’
She went on to find love with businessman Billy Henty and welcomed their first child, daughter GiGi in May last year.
Meanwhile Adam and Katie parted ways, less than a week after the 2016 final with claims the pair ended acrimoniously with bitter barbs shared on social media.
Katie went on to welcome daughter Thiaga in 2022 with former fiancé Harry Dean, he tragically died two years later.
Adam will be just one of Butlins’ special celebrity guests at their new Wrestling event alongside Peter Andre, Jeff Brazier and Chris Hughes.
Experience heart-pounding, high-flying action as ring royalty lay the smackdown in a no-holds-barred battle for the coveted championship belt.
Maximum Pro Wrestling will be live on selected schools out breaks through 2026 with the first event being less than a month away for February half term.
Adam will be just one of Butlins’ special celebrity guests at their new Wrestling event alongside Peter Andre, Jeff Brazier and Chris Hughes
Maximum Pro Wrestling will be live on selected schools out breaks through 2026 with the first event being less than a month away for February half term
Holidays for Feb half term for a family of four start from £200 and the Maximum Pro Wrestling alongside other live shows and so much more is included in the price.
Meanwhile the UK’s biggest dance troupe, Diversity, will also be appearing at all three Butlins’ resorts -– Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness – with their brand-new and exclusive show, Time Capsule.
Fresh from their UK tour, the dance megastars will be defying gravity on summer holiday breaks with mind-blowing choreography and unforgettable storytelling.
From the world of music and film to technology and fashion, Diversity will take families back in time to iconic moments in pop culture history through the group’s signature style of dance.
