In a shocking turn of events that has left millions of unsuspecting Love Island viewers stunned, Derby-bred footballer Harrison Solomon has left the villa after being a controversial participant of one of Love Island's most explosive love triangles to date.
The 22-year-old began earning himself a reputation as a player of more than football over the past week, after stirring up romantic plans with both Toni Laites and Lauren Wood simultaneously. Fans were quicker to catch onto Harrison’s antics than his love interests and did not hesitate to condemn him for playing with both girls' emotions and leaving them both in tears along the way. Fans quickly dubbed him “petrifying” and “toxic” among other things.
Online backlash quickly ran rampant as Harrison's struggle to pick between 26-year-old Toni and 24-year-old Lauren continued to create a fiery storm for the trio. Harrison brought Lauren back from Casa Amor despite being coupled with Toni. Whilst this is rarely the plot-twist it once was in Love Island's earliest seasons, the already heated love triangle caught alight when Harrison apparently had sex with Lauren, only to successfully beg Toni to re-couple with him the following day. Toni's decision to stay with Harrison shocked fans nearly as much as it shocked the pairs "partners" Cach Mercer and Lauren, with both left sobbing and publicly embarrassed.
Toni wasn’t entirely able to escape the inevitable backlash, as just a few hours earlier, Toni had taken herself out of the toxic triangle, telling Lauren:
“He's all yours, girlfriend… I’m removing myself from this. This is getting f**king ridiculous and it's making me nasty…He's lying to both of us. I can't keep doing this.”
However, those famous last words weren’t the last she shared about Harrison and after choosing him for the coupling and opting for a new start, Harrison returned to his old ways. Harrison’s flirtatious behaviour with Lauren was undeniable to viewers after he complimented her red bikini and even had her flossing his teeth for him. It comes after Women's Aid Communications Manager Jessye Werner spoken out about the latest season of Love Island's and it's depictions of "unhealthy behaviour."
Werner stated: "Misogyny and sexism lay the foundation for the tolerance of abuse and violence – it reinforces a culture that excuses and trivialises violence against women and girls. More must be done to educate contestants on sexism and misogyny, and it is a great credit to viewers who take to social media, continuing to call out these behaviours as soon as they see them."
A source revealed that after having conversations with the duty of care team, Harrison decided to leave the show on Thursday July 17 and return home. The source told The Sun: "It's been a momentous few days for Harrison and ultimately he has decided to quit…Everyone was so shocked and people were crying and hugging him. He worked through everything with the ITV duty of care team and is making his way home to his family now."