Love Island cast plus-size model Jada Sezer for body diversity
Love Island has faced numerous complaints from body confidence advocates, who point out the show's lack of diversity when it comes to body shapes and sizes.
The smash hit ITV2 reality show has been under pressure over the course of four seasons to include a wider range of body types, and it seems the bosses have finally taken some action.
The Cupid-style show has reportedly cast plus-sized model and mental health advocate Jada Sezer for the upcoming fifth season.
The 30-year-old health campaigner already has achievements under her belt, as the first plus-size model to walk at London Fashion Week.
She's set to join Tyson Fury's baby bro Tommy in the Spanish villa when the show kicks off on June 3. An inside source spoke to The Sun about the diversity issues which the show has promoted:
"Previous years have been criticised for a lack of diversity among contestants. This year producers are determined to have more variation among the Islanders."
"Jada would be a perfect choice because she is passionate about body positivity- and even appeared on Good Morning Britain in her underwear before running the marathon," they continued.
The stunning size 16 model encourages people to adore their bodies on her podcast, dismissing the idea that a career should be based around your weight.
"This is my natural weight and I’ve been able to make a career from it. If I was to stop liking cake and lost weight then I would probably lose clients because when you get down to a size 14/12 it can be harder to get jobs."
Love Island features contestants with identical, gym-obsessed physiques, which can often lead to controversy given their audience of young women and girls.
The casting announcement has arrived just after an insider revealed that the show will see more variety in terms of the islanders' bodies.
"With everything that’s happened, bosses know that the show will be under intense scrutiny this year so they’ve gone back to see what it is the viewers want, and if there’s anything they can do to make it better."
They continued: "One thing that keeps coming up is the lack of body shape diversity. Viewers want to see girls and boys with bodies they can relate to. Sexy singles come in all shapes and sizes and this is what the viewers will see this year. It’s a really positive move."
The ITV2 series is also bringing in new measures to protect the mental health of contestants after they leave the villa. This was seemingly as a result of the suicides of two former Love Island stars; Mike Thallasitis and Sophie Gradon.
Other names on the love list for this years' show include; Rochelle Humes' sister Soph Piper, AJ Pritchard's brother Curtis, Big Brother star Lotan Carter, Ted Pullin, Sav Berry, and American model Delilah Belle Hamlin.
Love Island kicks off Monday 3 June on ITV2, we're excited to see the positive vibes that Jada can bring to the show.
Feature image: Instagram/@jadasezer
