'Love Island' star Hugo Hammond says ITV didn't air scenes discussing his disability
Hugo Hammond has said scenes in which he openly discussed his disability in the Love Island villa never made it to air.
The 25-year-old PE teacher made history as the first physically disabled contestant to enter the ITV reality show, but many were shocked to see this never mentioned on the programme.
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Hammond was born with clubfoot and spoke prior to the show's launch about wanting to "set a great example and show people that having a disability doesn’t mean you can’t be mainstream".
He has now told Metro it was "a real shame" that discussions he had about disability in the villa were never chosen to appear in the final edit as it was "part of why I got involved in the show".
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"I had these conversations with the Islanders about my journey growing up and what it was like living with my feet the way they are, my participation in sport and activities, and still doing what everyone else did," said Hammond.
He added: "I’m not sure really why it didn’t, but it just didn’t get played across. It’s a shame because I feel like it’s a great opportunity for good to happen.
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"I just think ITV maybe missed out, they could have done good for a lot of people there. It was a shame but I’m sure they had their reasons."
Hammond said he hopes to be able to use his new platform as a result of the show to be able to pursue becoming a disability ambassador in the world of sport.
During his time in the Love Island villa, Hammond struggled to find a long-term connection with any of the female contestants and was eventually dumped from the island three weeks before the end.
His eventful spell on the reality show included criticising fellow contestant Toby Aromolaran for his treatment of Chloe Burrows, with whom he ultimately recoupled and finished in second place.
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Liam Reardon and Millie Court were crowned the series' winners, with Faye Winter and Teddy Soares in third place behind Aromolaran and Burrows.
This year's edition of the show suffered from falling viewing figures, as well as a record number of complaints to broadcast regulator Ofcom about incendiary scenes.
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