Love Island bosses warned not to film in ‘murder capital’ Cape Town as it’s ‘too dangerous’
LOVE Island bosses have been warned not to film the winter series in ‘murder capital’ Cape Town because it's too dangerous.
Locals have been left stunned to learn that ITV booked a villa in the Rainbow nation and urged the broadcaster to "think again".
Chilling messages on social media have referenced the country's gun problem, which sees 47 shootings EVERY DAY.
One person wrote on Twitter: “Coming to Cape Town? Are you insane? We don’t have a knife problem like in the UK. Here they shoot you dead.”
Another said: “Who wants to find love in Cape Town? The crime rate has risen 18% this year. No thank you.”
One more typed on Twitter: "If there's really going to be a winter #LoveIsland , is South Africa actually all that safe? I've only ever heard bad things."
South Africa is close to a "war zone" and has been turned a bloody shade of red with the murder rate seeing its biggest increase since the end of apartheid.
The murder rate has risen by 30 per cent over the last six years and police officers patrol the streets with shotguns amid the rise in violence.
Despite warnings from fans, it's full steam ahead on the show and Love Island bosses are already casting for the winter version – looking for a virgin, someone related to royalty and even a STRIPPER to take part.
Producers have put out a casting call to agents and talent spotters asking for them to put forward potential Islanders for auditions.
And among the requests – which include a ‘career girl’, ‘Essex girl’ and a ‘sexy siren’ – there are a few more unusual choices.
Bosses want someone who is related to royalty, a male virgin and a female stripper – who they add must be ‘classy’ too.
They’re also asking for a ‘rock chick’, a girl with tattoos and a male ‘surfer dude’ … which Lucie Donlan actually requested on the show THIS series. Love Island has been approached for comment.
The Sun Online previously revealed that bosses also wanted a goth girl and twins to appear on the show, which starts filming in early January in South Africa.
The show has had a brief connection to royalty in the past – with series three contestant Camilla Thurlow dating Prince Harry before appearing on the series.
Last year, former stripper Megan Barton-Hanson found love with nuclear engineer Wes Nelson.
And on last year’s show, viewers joked that Dr Alex George was a virgin – before he revealed he’d had a threesome on a wild night out.
Last week an insider confirmed that bosses would be flying fewer people out to the villa in South Africa, so they needed to make sure that every contestant was a "strong option".
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The source said: "It’s no secret that contestants for the show come through a lot of different channels.
"As well as tens of thousands of people applying through ITV’s website this year, the show accepts contestants put forward by talent scouts and agents, and producers approach people on social media too."
Reports claimed that this year’s winners Amber Gill and Greg O’Shea were handpicked for the show by producers, and only six of the Islanders actually filled out applications to be on the show – including Ovie, Joe and Amy Hart.
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