Love Island contestant Helena Ford faces backlash after racist and fatphobic tweets resurface online
Devon-based Love Island contestant Helena Ford is under fire after several of her old tweets containing offensive language resurfaced online, sparking widespread backlash from viewers and calls for her removal from the ITV2 reality show.
One tweet from 2014 attributed to the now 29-year-old read: “All I can hear are these f**g foreign dheads.” The post triggered outrage among fans, with many tagging both Love Island and the UK’s media regulator Ofcom to demand action.
Comments under the post included remarks like “Get her gone lads” and “Count ur days in that villa babe x.” Some viewers went as far as urging producers to remove Helena from the villa immediately.
In addition to the racist remark, other resurfaced tweets from Helena’s past also raised eyebrows. In one, she referred to her mother using derogatory language, saying she told her boss she was “taking my dog for a walk,” before clarifying she was actually talking about her mum. Another tweet read: “Nah, mum’s cooking steak, is this a joke? Are you a s**g? Why would she do this to me?”
Nah, mums cooking steak, is this a joke? Are you a slag? Why would she do this to me
— helssss (@HelenaForddd) March 14, 2018
Told my boss I'm taking my dog for a walk, little does she know I'm talking about my mum
A source close to Helena told Devon Live that the posts do not reflect who she is today. “These tweets are not reflective of the language Helena would use as a 30-year-old woman and she would acknowledge she has done a lot of growing up since what she very naively posted over eight years ago,” the source said.
ITV responded to the controversy by highlighting the steps taken to prepare Islanders before they enter the villa. In a statement to The Tab, the broadcaster emphasized its extensive training programme that addresses race, ethnicity, microaggressions, and appropriate conduct. ITV added that it carries out thorough background checks on participants to ensure accountability.