Love Island star breaks silence just hours after forced ITV exit

The ITV star was unexpectedly dumped following a brutal game of Truth or Dare

A Love Island star has spoken out hours after being booted from the villa.

Last night’s (June 12) episode left viewers stunned as Ope Sowande and Victoria Onanusi were axed following a tense game of Truth or Dare.

Prior to the savage dumping, the Islanders were instructed to assemble around the Fire Pit for the challenge. It saw them taking turns selecting a question from a mystery box and reading it aloud to the group.

One of the more brutal cards asked the couples to rank themselves from strongest to weakest in terms of connection.

This triggered a row when Ope and Victoria were voted as the least connected couple, with Ope insisting that Sam Workman and Namibia Rosa had less of a spark, reports OK!.

But the West End performer failed to shift from bottom place. Tensions escalated further when the villa received a shock text revealing that Victoria and Ope had been booted from the show due to their co-stars’ rankings.

Ope was seen struggling to contain his tears as he packed his bags. The experienced performer has now spoken about his departure, confessing he was “gutted” to bid farewell to the villa.

Taking to his Instagram story, he said: “Yo, your boy’s back! Love Island Season 13 done. I’m gutted to have left, however, it definitely was my time. I appreciate all the love, all the support I’ve been getting.”

He continued: “Big love, guys. A lot more to come, you’re gonna be seeing a lot more of me. I’ve ever the best experience ever so thank you so much.”

The reality TV star is set to appear on Love Island: After Sun this Sunday (June 14) and Love Island: The Debrief podcast on Tuesday (April 16), where he’ll reflect on his experiences in the villa.

Despite feeling that his departure was timely, ITV viewers have been campaigning for Ope’s comeback. One fan took to X (formerly Twitter), stating: “Ope was pure entertainment, now I want him back #loveislanduk.”

Another viewer concurred: “Bring Ope back in Casa omg so entertaining #loveislanduk,” while a third chimed in: “Ope noooo… what a guy man #loveislanduk.”

Love Island continues on ITV2 and ITVX tomorrow night (June 14) at 9pm.