LOVE Island bosses blocked at least 50 wannabe contestants this year over sexual misconduct fears.
ITV weeded out undesirables by scouring the Disclosure and Barring Service records of would-be islanders in the application process.
Drug tests, social media sweeps, physical and mental health assessments also formed part of the checks on potential cast members.
The process to make sure they were equipped for the island experience raised red flags over sex abuse, harassment or misconduct in dozens of applicants.
A casting source said: “If there are any troublesome discoveries they’re straight out. There were at least 50 examples this year.”
The measures, brought in before the winter series in Cape Town in January, also include relationship training and respectful language when discussing disability, sexuality, race and ethnicity.
They are thought to be among TV’s most robust and follow bullying accusations last year against a number of the boys including Luca Bish, 23, and Dami Hope, 26.
The reintroduction of Adam Collard, 26, last year was condemned by Women’s Aid because of his coercive behaviour during his first stint in the villa in 2018.
The source said: “The public probably isn’t aware how thorough the background checks on all of the contestants are to find out as much as we can about them.
“We’ve never had a #MeToo horror pop up because we won’t move forward with a potential contestant if we find something unsettling about their history along those lines.
“We have ramped up all the checks even more as part of the promise to do more to protect our Islanders.
“It also sets a clear standard that certain behaviours will not be accepted or ignored if they happen.”
This year, semi-pro boxer Haris Namani, 21, left the villa after The Sun exposed him for punching a reveller.
An ITV spokesman has declined to comment.
Meanwhile, casting for this summer’s series is under way.
