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Zara McDermott: I was voted off Love Island due to airtime

Zara McDermott claims she was voted out of ‘Love Island’ last year due to an unfair amount of "airtime".
The 22-year-old reality TV star – who featured on the fourth series of the ITV2 summer series in 2018 – left the villa after just two weeks, and now she insisted she was a "victim" of editing meaning viewers were more "invested" in the other contestants.
She said: "I feel like people have got a lot more fairer airtime and I think that’s a good thing – 100%. Because I was definitely a victim to not having as much airtime and I think that that’s why I got voted out was because we didn’t have a lot of airtime.
"I watched it, in the last week I was like barely in it and I did loads of stuff that week, like why wasn’t I in it? So it’s frustrating but I think it’s good that they’re making it fairer.
"However I think that that also means that you can’t get as invested in the characters. You can’t get as invested in the people so it’s a little bittersweet."
And ‘Made In Chelsea’ star, Sam Thompson – who is in a relationship with the striking brunette – opened up about the current series of the ITV2 dating show, and insisted the programme hasn’t been as "interesting" as previous seasons because its viewers don’t think anybody is there to find romance.
He told Heart Dance: "I think the problem is everyone knows the game so well now, no one is there to find love are they let’s be honest, everyone’s there for the blue tick and a teeth whitening post."
Sam, 26, went on to reveal how he and Zara began their relationship, when she "slid into his DMs" just a few months ago.
He explained: "Zara and I met a year and a half ago at an event where we didn’t know each other at all or we only spoke for five minutes and then Zara, knowing that we spoke all those years ago slid in to my DMs a few months ago, and I’m incredibly glad she did because she’s now my girlfriend and I’m very very very lucky and very happy."
Tune into Heart Dance on DAB digital radio across the UK, on the Heart app, on Global Player, on your smart speaker by saying "play Heart Dance" and at heart.co.uk.