ITV has confirmed Kyle Ashman will no longer be entering the Love Island villa, just hours after he was announced as part of the 2025 summer line-up.
Ashman, 23, a water operative from Stafford, was among the original cast members set to appear on the reality dating series, which returns to ITV2 on Monday, June 9.
However, the broadcaster has since removed him from the show following the emergence of a past incident.
“For personal reasons, Kyle will not be entering the Love Island villa as planned”, ITV said in a statement.
According to reports, Ashman was previously arrested in connection with a violent incident earlier this year.
The Sun claims the arrest was linked to a machete attack that occurred in February at a wake in Stafford, during which several people were injured.
One man reportedly sustained near life-changing injuries to his arm, while others were attacked with a glass, a metal pole and a car.
Ashman was released without charge and has denied any involvement.
In a statement, he said: “I fully cooperated with this police investigation and made it very clear that I had no involvement in this incident.
“I am not a violent person, and any suggestion otherwise is a mischaracterisation.”
ITV is understood to have been unaware of Ashman’s arrest prior to the show's cast reveal. The decision to remove him was made after the incident was flagged to producers by The Sun.
Deadline also reported that no contestants had entered the Mallorca villa at the time ITV made its decision and the show's format remains unaffected.
Love Island is set to return for its twelfth summer series on Monday, with Maya Jama once again leading the show as host.
This marks Jama’s fourth time presenting the main series, having become the face of the ITV2 dating show in 2022.
In addition to the flagship summer edition, she has also hosted both of the franchise’s All Stars spin-offs, which aired in January over the past two years and were filmed in South Africa.
