'Love Island' caught up in a new race row as contestant pictured wearing black face in Mr T costume

Love Island is caught up in a new race row as contestant Anton Danyluk is pictured wearing black face while dressed as 80s TV icon Mr T.

The controversial picture has emerged with the 2019 series due to start tomorrow (Monday 3 June). The image was spotted on the Facebook page of the gym owned by 24-year-old Danyluk.

It shows him celebrating Halloween in 2013 wearing dungarees, gold chains, a mohawk wig and face paint to look like Mr T’s A-Team character BA Baracus.

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One former Love Island contestant has called for Danyluk to be axed by show bosses.

2017 finalist Marcel Somerville said: “Blackface was a form of entertainment that comedians and actors used to do. But we all know it’s just not funny and simply not acceptable any more.

“In my opinion it hasn’t been acceptable for decades, so to hear that someone still thinks it’s OK to make fun of people’s skin colour is absolutely ridiculous. It’s racist, and for him to stay on the show now with no repercussions is not OK.

“Perhaps Love Island bosses should let his fellow housemates know about what he did. Then we can see if he still finds it funny.

“It doesn’t matter if you are dressing up as Mr T ‘for a laugh’ or pretending to be Al Jolson, there’s never an excuse for it. I find blackface extremely offensive and there’s no place for it in any situation.

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The former Blazin’ Squad rapper added: “The Love Island bosses vet all contestants, but they must have missed this picture in his social media feed or they probably wouldn’t have let him on the show.”

It isn’t the first issue relating to race the new series has encountered. Amber Gill was forced to deny being racist after an old social media post resurfaced which saw the beauty therapist saying she ‘don’t like black guys.’

Love Island returns to screens on tomorrow night at 9pm on ITV2.