Love Island contestant Munveer Jabbal insists he will not have sex on TV due to being a practicing Punjabi Sikh – and he vows to stay true to his South Asian roots.
The tech recruiter, 30, told MailOnline he aims to be ‘respectful’ in the villa because his mother will be watching.
He hopes potential girlfriends see past his religion, skin colour and tattoos and will get to know the real him but says his culture is a big part of his identity.
Munveer admitted he has never watched an episode of the ITV2 series but said he needed no persuasion to sign up because he’s ‘single, good looking’ and on the hunt for a long-term partner.
And he claims a story he told in his promotional video clip, where he boasts about sleeping with three women in one day on a lads’ holiday, is behaviour he displayed in his early 20s but now he’s matured into a better man.
Love Island contestant Munveer Jabbal insists he will not have sex on TV due to being a practicing Punjabi Sikh and he vows to stay true to his South Asian roots
The tech recruiter told MailOnline he aims to be ‘respectful’ in the villa because his mother will be watching
He hopes potential girlfriends see past his religion, skin colour and tattoos and will get to know the real him but says his culture is a big part of his identity
He said: ‘I am religious, I am Punjabi Sikh, but I don’t practice as much as I used to, but I stand by my beliefs and my religion and where I have come from, I will never forget my roots. It’s a big part of me.
‘I am representing the South Asian community and people in my position and shown them that it’s possible for us.
‘There is a lot of diversity around it and obviously being half Indian, half English, I’m the best of both, you know? Hopefully they can look past the skin colour, tattoos, and the nice smile and see me for who I am, that’s the most important thing.
‘My mum is going to be watching. Just no to sex in the villa… I’m more respectful than that.’
Although he’s not a diehard fan of the dating series, Munveer says joining the line-up was a no-brainer.
He added: ‘I have never watched Love Island before. I watched snippets of it when I was my ex-girlfriend. But I’m single, good looking, apparently, and you’re going to put me in a villa with absolute rockets, and I’ll make some friendships… who wouldn’t want to do that?’
Gloating about his previous conquests, Munveer admitted to bedding three women in one day while on holiday in Kos but says nowadays he’s a completely different person and even alcohol free.
He said: ‘That was a long, long time ago, it was my first lads’ holiday abroad, anything goes kind of behaviour and mentality, very much young, dumb, that’s not normal behaviour.
Gloating about his previous conquests, Munveer admitted to bedding three women in one day while on holiday in Kos but says nowadays he’s a completely different person
The Islander hopes to find his ‘dream girl’ in the villa and says he won’t let age difference impact his decision, with Munveer nine years older than the youngest contestant
‘I have been in relationships throughout my 20s and definitely matured over time, that’s not the standard Saturday night anymore.
‘I don’t miss it, to be honest, my life has changed. My work dynamic, my environment, personal life, you’re comparing an 18 year old and a 30 year old, I’m on different pages in my life.
‘Of course, I like to party but I’m booze free… I don’t like to drink that much so longer weekends… with alcohol you make bad decisions and mistakes and tend to go on the wild side but now I’m at the tender age of 30, life is a little bit different for me.’
The Islander hopes to find his ‘dream girl’ in the villa and says he won’t let age difference impact his decision, with Munveer nine years older than the youngest contestant.
He said: ‘For me it’s all about the energy, the vibe, the personality and the maturity above all. So, if there’s a lot of common ground, we’re on the same page on certain things and she has a mature head, that’s more important compared to their age but obviously I have limits in my mind.
‘For me it’s about finding that connection. My dream girl is someone family orientated, love language acts of service, physical touch, these things are important to me, someone who is kind and caring… personality is very important to me now.
‘But in terms of looks I have always gone for blonde hair and blue eyes but I’m going into it with an open mind, it is about the connection and the energy to me.’
Love Island returns on Monday 3rd June at 9pm on ITV1, ITV2, ITVX & STV