Love Island champion Greg O’Shea believes the only way to save this season’s falling viewership is to send in an Irish contestant.
The Limerick rugby player who won last summer’s series partnering up with Newcastle beauty Amber Gill, says that he has already noticed a lull in the show’s hysteria.
Living in Ireland and away from the London party scene, he says that the hype from six months ago has already started to ease off.
The winter Love Island has yet to take off like Greg’s summer version, and he believes it will take another Maura Higgins for the series to catch fire.
“Look, the hype has definitely died down in Ireland anyway”, he said.
“I think it is because people have their own stuff going on.
“The new show brings a whole new set of islanders so I am kind of old news at this stage.
“Yes I did win it which makes me a unique selling point to he others.
“I like the new series, it is good, I have watched a few episodes, but they need to get some Irish in there, to spice it up.
“Do you remember when Maura came into the villa?
“She spiced it up although they won’t find another Maura, she is a character. But a little bit of Irish wouldn’t go astray.”
Greg is now set to move from radio into TV presenting and has been announced as the new co-host of Virgin Media’s latest rugby show The Late Tackle.
The show, which will be a rugby-based entertainment-led show will coincide with the coverage of the Guinness Six Nations.
Greg, 24, along with Six O’Clock host Muireann O’Connell, will front the Thursday night programme which is scheduled to air after Love Island.
Despite his blossoming media career he says that his Irish Sevens teammates ensure that his feet remain firmly planted on the ground.
“I got so much slagging, I still do”, he said. "When I do a sponsored post the lads eat me alive”.
“The day they stop slagging you in the dressing room is the day something is wrong.
“That is the day they give up on you.
“They have been so good because I have brought a lot of attention towards the sevens team and towards the lads and maybe some of the lads didn’t want that attention.
“But they have accepted me back in, thankfully, and hopefully we can do well.”
The Late Tackle with Guinness kicks off on Thursday 30th January 10pm.
