Love Island’s Haris Namani has broken his silence on shocking footage that showed him punching a reveller in a street brawl after he was dumped from the villa.
The TV salesman, 21, admitted he was ‘devastated’ that the video emerged and insisted it is ‘not a reflection’ of his character.
He said: ‘I’m devastated that this video has been seen, it’s not a reflection of my character. I’m not someone that goes looking for fights and I didn’t want to be in that situation.
Speaking out: Love Island’s Haris Namani has broken his silence on shocking footage that showed him punching a reveller in a street brawl after he was dumped from the villa
‘This was a heat of the moment thing. The video doesn’t show everything that happened. Afterwards we met up and we cleared the air; we’ve shaken hands and we get along now. It’s not something that would happen again.’
It comes after Anna-May and Haris left the Love Island villa on Wednesday night after being dumped by their fellow Islanders.
Australian bombshells Jessie and Aaron made the final decision after the results of the public vote revealed the bottom three girls and boys.
Haris’ dumping comes after shocking video footage emerged this week of the star in a street brawl last year before he entered the villa.
Dumped: Anna-May and Haris left the Love Island villa on Wednesday night after being dumped by their fellow Islanders
Explaining their decision, Jessie told the Islanders gathered around the firepit that they has chosen ‘who we think has the most potential to continue to grow and develop and we personally think that these two people have had a lot of opportunity but we don’t think there is any further for them to go.’
Earlier Jessie had insisted that she didn’t ‘want to break up a couple.’
Aaron and Jessie struggled to make their decision as when talking about one of the boys, Jessie said: ‘He’s like one of my best friends in here’.
Aaron replied: ‘I know, I actually like all of the guys, but you can’t think like that.’
Shock: Australian bombshells Jessie and Aaron made the final decision after the results of the public vote revealed the bottom three girls and boys
It came after the ITV2 show was plunged into chaos after a video surfaced on social media showing TV salesman Haris, 21, landing blows on another party-goer in the street.
Insiders have since told MailOnline that Haris left the villa as part of a planned eviction after a public vote and it is ‘just a coincidence that his departure came hours after the video was unearthed’.
A Love Island spokesperson added: ‘We would never comment on dumpings or show formats to avoid ruining the show for the viewers.’
In a distressing clip, taken last May in Doncaster, Haris sparred with his opponent, knocked him to the ground and shouted: ‘I’m not a bully… on my mum’s life’ while being encouraged by a friend behind the camera.
Upset: Haris’ dumping comes after shocking video footage emerged this week of the star in a street brawl last year before he entered the villa
Gone: The Islanders were shocked by Jessie and Aaron’s decision
Exit: Insiders have since told MailOnline that Haris left the villa as part of a planned eviction after a public vote
After the video emerged on picture app Snapchat, it was published by The Sun.
A friend of Haris told the publication: ‘We were all surprised when we heard Haris was going on Love Island, he’s got quite a bit of a temper on him and if someone says something he’s more than prepared to have a fight.
‘He’s got an advantage being a boxer and he knows he can cause damage because he trains four times a week, he knows what he is capable of because of his training. That kind of stuff has to stay in the ring.
‘I’m surprised ITV didn’t do further checks, I saw the row between him and Shaq and wasn’t surprised in the slightest. That’s the type of guy he is. What you see is what you get.’
On Instagram, Haris often shares snaps and videos of himself training in the boxing ring, as well as showing off his talents in his fights at Steel City Gym.
After the video emerged, bosses initially issued a statement following reports Haris’s future involvement in the show hangs by ‘the thinnest of threads’.
A representative for Love Island said: ‘Language and behaviour in the villa is always closely monitored, and Islanders are reminded of what we consider acceptable during their time on the show.
‘Extensive duty of care protocols for all Islanders includes video training and guidance covering language and behaviour.’
An ITV source added to MailOnline that background checks are carried out before Islanders enter the show and that the video training tells them how they should conduct themselves in the villa and what is considered unacceptable behaviour.
Showdown: It comes after Haris and Shaq had to be held apart by the other boys as they almost came to blows in a tense stand-off as they had a debrief about the earlier challenge
The insider told us: ‘This training is their opportunity to learn and gain perspective from any mistakes or errors of judgement that have been made prior to going on the show.’
The footage comes days after a fight erupted between Haris and Shaq Muhammad after a beer pong game – with the men having to be forced apart by shocked Islanders.
The drama kicked off as Haris commented on bombshell newcomer David’s steamy kiss with Shaq’s partner Tanya, causing Shaq to brand the TV salesman a ‘s**t stirrer’.
LOVE ISLAND 2023: MEET THE CONTESTANTS
Tanya Manhenga
Name: Tanya Manhenga
Age: 22
Location: Liverpool
Occupation: Student and model
Something not many people know about her: ‘I have Vitiligo, which is a skin pigmentation, you may not even notice it.’
‘It’s on my lip and I have a stripe on my hair. Not many people know that but I think it’s quite cute.’
‘I don’t care about covering it up all the time, I think it’s a vibe.’
Lana Jenkins
Name: Lana Jenkins
Age: 25
Location: Luton
Occupation: Makeup artist
Something not many people know about her: ‘In my work as a makeup artist I’ve worked with lots of celebrities.
‘Also, when I was 6-years-old I used to live in Spain and I was in an episode of Benidorm as an extra.’
Anna-May Robey
Name: Anna-May Robey
Age: 20
Location: Swansea
Occupation: Payroll assistant
Something not many people know about her: ‘I went on a date once and I never saw him again.’
‘We went for food and shared a bottle of wine. As I was speaking to him he fell asleep!’
‘I had to clink his wine glass to wake him up.’
Tanyel Revan
Name: Tanyel Revan
Age: 26
Location: North London
Occupation: Hair stylist
Something not many people know about her: ‘My celebrity crush is Channing Tatum – I don’t like pretty boys, they give me the ‘ick’ because they always have a crap personality.’
‘Channing Tatum is handsome but not too pretty. He’s manly and he can dance.’
‘If a man can dance I’m in love with him straight away.’
Olivia Hawkins
Name: Olivia Hawkins
Age: 27
Location: Brighton
Occupation: Ring girl and actress
Something not many people know about her: ‘I did a film with Jason Statham and had a nice 10-minute convo about life.’
‘I’ve been a ring girl for KSI, I played a waitress in James Bond with Daniel Craig and I’ve also been a body double for Michelle Keegan and Emma Watson.’
Tom Clare
Name: Tom Clare
Age: 23
Location: Barnsley
Occupation: Semi-Pro Footballer
Something not many people know about him: I’m a High School Musical fan
Aaron Waters
Name: Aaron Waters
Age: 25
Location: Melbourne
Occupation: Model
Someting not many people know about him: He thinks his appearance on Love Island UK was ‘diving timing’
Kai Fagan
Name: Kai Fagan
Age: 24
Location: Manchester
Occupation: Science and PE teacher
Something not many people know about him: ‘I’m a Jamaican citizen. Because of that I played rugby 7s for Jamaica.’
‘I play semi-professional rugby now for Burnage RFC.’
‘I’ve technically got three different degrees and went to three different unis.’
Ron Hall
Name: Ron Hall
Age: 25
Location: Essex
Occupation: Financial advisor
Something not many people know about him: ‘On meeting me, you’d never know I am blind in one eye.’
‘It was the result of a football injury when I was 8. I’ve got two different coloured eyes, one blue and one green.’
Will Young
Name: Will Young
Age: 23
Location: Buckinghamshire
Occupation: Farmer
Something not many people know about him: ‘Every night I light a candle and meditate for 20-25 minutes.’
‘A girl I was seeing told me to meditate, I tried it and loved it. I stopped seeing her and carried on meditating!
‘It’s a nice way to self reflect.’
Shaq Muhammad
Name: Shaq Muhammad
Age: 24
Location: London
Occupation: Airport security officer
Something not many people know about him: ‘I’m a very emotional person. It can be a blessing and a curse.’
‘Every time I watch Dear John I cry.
That’s my favourite film. Any time I’m with someone and they say, ‘Let’s watch a romantic film’, I’m like, ‘How about Dear John, how does that sound?’
Haris Namani
Name: Haris Namani
Age: 21
Location: Doncaster
Occupation: TV salesman
Something not many people know about him: ‘I’ve never found love. I think this is the show that can help me.’
‘It’s the best opportunity for me to find the girl and find the right one. I’ve obviously not found the right one myself.’
Zara Deniz Lackenby-Brown
Name: Zara Deniz Lackenby-Brown
Age: 25
Location: London
Occupation: Model and property developer
Something not many people know about her: ‘I’ve gone onto do lots of modelling and dancing for music videos for UK and global artists, I’ve worked with people like Hardy Caprio, Headie One, Aitch, Tione Wayne and more.’
Jessie Wynter
Name: Jessie Wynter
Age: 26
Location: Sydney
Occupation: Personal Trainer
Something you may not know about her: She was on series two of Love Island Australia
