Love Island star Ollie Williams has embarked on a totally different career path from reality television, as he wants to be part of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party – but who is he?
A controversial Love Island star has stunned fans by announcing he is running for a seat in Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party. Five years after his hunting uproar, season six Islander Ollie Williams has made the extreme career change from reality TV to politics, claiming freedom of speech had been “eroded for far too long”.
But who is he? The 29-year-old was coupled up with Paige Turley but sensationally walked out of the villa after he admitted he still had feelings for someone else. Paige then coupled up with Finn Tapp and went on to win the series.
Not one to shy away from controversy, Ollie managed to rack up thousands of Ofcom complaints after being a proud trophy hunter, and posing next to animals he had shot dead. After just two episodes of series six, Ofcom’s complaints about his casting doubled from 231 to 467.
Love Island star reveals he is running for Reform in shock career change
He also caused huge backlash when he uploaded a new YouTube video which features his best hunting moments – from New Zealand to Africa. He took a private helicopter ride and filmed himself shooting from the aircraft for his followers.
When he walked out the villa, amid the backlash, Ollie insisted he left the show due to personal issues instead. In his first statement since quitting, Ollie said: “I have to be honest with myself, and everyone, that I do still love someone else… I have to follow my heart in this scenario and it would be wrong for me to ignore these feelings.
“At the end of the day, this is Love Island and it’s about finding love. If I carried on anything with Paige, or any other girl that might come into the villa, it wouldn’t be fair on them.” He is now engaged to the woman he had left the villa for as he embarks on his new career choice.
Ollie, who is the son and heir of Andrew Williams, Viscount Clifden, the Lord of the Manor of the Lanhydrock Estate, in Cornwall, brushed off any criticism after his stint on TV, as he posed with dead animals again. The scandal didn’t deter Ollie from hunting as he took to Instagram to show that he’d killed deers while on a trip to Cornwall. In the caption, he defended his actions, saying, “Hunting is conservation”. In more controversy, Ollie was then seen hanging out the side of a helicopter while using a semi-automatic shotgun much to the hatred of fans.
But now, five years on, he has revealed he is making a career change into politics and is running for a seat on Cornwall Council. Taking to Instagram as his campaign commences, the aspiring politician said: “I am proud to announce I will be running in May’s local elections for the Reform Party in Lostwithiel and Lanreath. Our freedom of speech and society has been eroded for far too long and it’s time to act. I am not prepared to standby and hope someone else sorts it out while I watch it all burn – so I’m taking my first baby steps into politics.”
While his time on Love Island only lasted three days, Ollie is hoping his political career lasts much longer, and is looking to to win a seat in the rural region of Lostwithiel and Lanreath at the local election taking place on May 1. All 87 of Cornwall Council’s seats are being contested this year.
The ex-TV star added: “If you’ve followed me thus far, I hope you’ll trust my judgement when I say I believe this to be the best course of action for the protection of your free way of life. If you support Reform and our beliefs, then please make sure you get down to the polls or apply for a postal or proxy vote and….vote for Reform UK.” His post urges people to ‘Reform our country and return it to its original strength and glory’.
Opposition-wise, Liberal Democrat councillor Colin Martin was victorious in the 2021 election, securing 42.1% of the vote. He beat the Conservative candidate by 38 votes. The reaction from Ollie’s 41.5k followers has been pretty mixed, with some telling him ‘well done’ and wishing him ‘good luck’.
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