Love Island bosses told me to dump my footballer boyfriend and job to take part in show
A LOVE Island star has revealed that bosses encouraged her to dump her footballer boyfriend to take part in the show.
The former Islander – who rose to fame on the ITV2 dating show in 2021 – said she wasn’t single when signing up.
Lucinda Strafford headed into the Majorcan villa in the summer of 2021, and has spilled the beans on the behind-the-scenes process of the show.
Sitting down with bombshell Anna-May Robey, who left the Winter Love Island villa last month, she revealed she was encouraged to dump her boyfriend to take part.
Lucinda, 22, admitted that she wasn’t single ahead of the programme when she was first accepted in 2019.
Having applied to Love Island twice, Lucinda originally turned down the opportunity because of a “guy she was speaking to”.
“I applied in 2019,” she said in the YouTube video. “I actually got it, but it was all going on in my life. I had BA cabin crew and a guy I was speaking to.”
The star went onto reveal that when she turned it down, producers tried to persuade her by making her realise how lucky she was to be selected.
Lucinda added: “I actually said no and I remember the woman saying on the phone saying, ‘You have a 0.0001% of the population’.”
When approached by the sun, an ITV spokesperson said: “It has always been an Islander’s own decision if they participate in the show or not.”
It comes after Lucinda revealed she was single again after splitting from her footballer boyfriend Aaron Connolly.
Lucinda opened up on what happened that forced the young couple to call it quits once and for all.
Speaking to fans on her YouTube channel she told them she was “single” last year but it was an exciting prospect for her, especially ahead of “hot girl summer.”
“I feel like I’ve had a whirlwind and feel like it’s the best thing for me to do, focus on myself,” she explained before adding, “I’ve let got of myself completely.”
Later in the video she explained it was not the ‘best relationship ever’, and is not interested in dating anyone at the moment.
“I just want to give myself love and don’t want to speak to anyone,” she explained.
Lucinda’s confirmation of the split comes after police were called to Aaron’s £1.5million mansion in Brighton.
They had an explosive row with Aaron in the early hours after she confronted him over her suspicions he was cheating on her.
Sources said she became “overcome with emotion” and raged after coming home from a nightclub in Brighton.
A source said: “Their relationship had been toxic for some time before this.
“They broke up last year then wanted to give it another shot, but it just doesn’t look like it’s going to work.
“Lucinda had a nice night out with her friends but later went to his place where things completely erupted.
“She’s had to put up with a lot during their relationship and she questioned him about him apparently cheating on her.
“She kicked off and police were called. She needed calming down by cops.”
She dated the Middlesbrough loanee on and off for three years in between going on Love Island.