'Love Island' 'trophy hunting' contestant sparks over 200 complaints to Ofcom

Ofcom has received more than 200 complaints about winter Love Island contestant Ollie Williams.

There have been calls for the “trophy hunting” Cornish landowner to be dropped from the ITV2 dating show after pictures emerged online of him posing with dead animals he killed in Africa.

Springwatch presenter Chris Packham is among those objecting to Williams, 23, appearing on the show, which this series is filmed in South Africa, after it emerged he participates in game hunting.

Packham tweeted: “Hello @ITV and @LoveIsland fans . The majority of people in the U.K. want to see an end to trophy hunting so perhaps it would be better to not provide a platform to anyone who kills wildlife for fun . Times are changing - will you ?”

Read more: Love Island sees ratings drop at first winter series launch

Broadcasting watchdog Ofcom said it had received 231 complaints against Williams’ participation in Love Island.

A listing on Companies House shows Williams to be the director of Cornish Sporting Agency Ltd, a business specialising in “hunting, trapping and related service activities”.

A petition campaigning against his appearance on the show titled "Remove Ollie Williams From Winter Love Island For Trophy Hunting!" has already amassed more than 30,000 signatures.

Read more: Maura Higgins was struggling to keep a roof over her head before Love Island

The latest series of the ITV2 show saw a drop in viewers as it launched its first winter run.

The first episode of winter Love Island on Sunday night was watched by 2.51 million viewers – down 800,000 from the 3.3 million who tuned into the summer 2019 series. These figures only take into account viewers for the live show, not those catching up through on demand streaming services.

The dating series is being hosted by Laura Whitmore after Caroline Flack stepped down in the wake of being charged with assault.