Love Island star Ovie Soko reveals he felt ‘saddened’ by being portrayed as a gentleman

Love Island 2019 star Ovie Soko has written a powerful essay about his portrayal on the ITV2 show and his part in the Black Lives Matter movement.

Writing for Metro.co.uk, the reality star and professional basketball player admitted the ‘saddest thing’ to come out of his time on the dating series, was his portrayal as a ‘gentleman’.

Ovie won the hearts of fans and received hundreds of messages of support for his kind nature on the show, but he admitted he was disappointed that he was seen as ‘changing the narrative’ for black men. 

Writing about his decision to take a step back from social media in recent weeks, Ovie revealed that he is doing his part for the Black Lives Matter movement by mentoring young people in his family and community.

Explaining that young black people have so much to offer, Ovie said ‘I think that’s the saddest thing that came out of my time on Love Island’. 

‘I received hundreds of messages afterwards from mothers and other young black men. They were saying thank you for showing society that black people aren’t just like what is generally portrayed in the media. They meant it as a compliment, but it was hard to take it that way.’

‘People were telling me I was a gentleman and changing the narrative – it was bullsh*t. The way I behaved is not unique to black men.’

He continued: ‘The public are typically used to seeing black men cast and forced into roles such as the womanisers, the aggressors, or the fool. I have so many friends, who are just like me and do not fit the stereotype of the black males you see in the media and on TV.’

Ovie questioned: ‘If they showed more young black gentlemen like myself, would we still see the stereotypes we do today?’ 

The basketball player also explained in the essay that he understands that others may find his decision to step away from his social media accounts and two million followers as odd, during a time when those with a platform are being encouraged to loudly voice their support for BLM. 

Explaining that he has decided he is better suited to working behind the scenes, Ovie admitted he was keen to step back from the ‘bombardment’ of opinions, and quietly continue with his own activism – ‘whether that be fundraising, supporting movements, mentoring or lifting up the voices of others.’

Professional basketball player Ovie was catapulted into the limelight when he entered the fifth series of Love Island in 2019. 

Despite coupling up with India Reynolds, 28, and finishing third place on the ITV dating show, the two did not last on the outside world.

The pair called it quits in September just months after leaving the Majorca sun, but Ovie has remained close friends with many of his fellow Islanders, including the series winner and best pal Amber Gill.