Gabriel Garland #
Introduction #
Gabriel Garland is a 24-year-old model from London who appeared as a Casa Amor bombshell on Love Island UK, the ITV2 dating series, and was removed from the villa in 2026 after producers learned of court documents connecting him to a 2019 London stabbing case. Garland was never charged or convicted, and per court records reported by India Times the court made no finding that he committed any wrongdoing — yet ITV removed him from the programme and heavily edited out his brief on-screen presence. The decision sparked widespread debate online about the show’s vetting process, and Garland later broke his silence in a video statement declaring “I don’t have a criminal record.”
Background Information #
Garland was introduced during Season 13 as one of six new Casa Amor boys, the group of bombshells sent in to test the existing couples. The 24-year-old model headed to Mallorca hoping to find a connection, with his eyes on fellow Islanders Jasmine MĂĽller and Priya Jaswal, according to Capital. The controversy traces back to New Year’s Eve 2019, when Garland — then a teenager — attended a party on Casewick Road in London alongside his friend Vitor Mazzer, according to court documents reported by India Times. During the gathering, Garland allegedly had an altercation with two men, and the dispute ended when Mazzer stabbed both victims. Mazzer was later convicted of two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and sentenced to prison, and his appeal against the conviction was dismissed in 2024. Court records also show that Garland’s mother submitted a character reference during the legal proceedings.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #
Allegations. The claims in this section come from court documents filed in the 2019 conviction of Vitor Mazzer, as reported by India Times and Deadline, which named Gabriel Garland in connection with the stabbing of two men. The alleged connection was never admitted by Garland, who was never criminally charged, never convicted, and never adjudicated in court over it; per India Times, the court records made no finding that he committed any wrongdoing. Garland denies all of it, saying “the legal judge has found no wrongdoing against me, and I don’t have a criminal record,” and he is presumed innocent.
According to The Sun, as cited by Deadline, Garland was named in court documents in Mazzer’s conviction, with the filings noting he had an altercation with the two victims Mazzer stabbed; Deadline reported his lack of conviction in the case may be why it never surfaced in ITV’s background check. India Times reported that ITV only became aware of the documents after Casa Amor filming had already begun; because Garland had no criminal conviction, the incident reportedly did not surface during standard background screening. After learning about the case, ITV decided to remove him from the programme. An ITV spokesperson said Garland had now left the villa and would not be returning, adding that the broadcaster would not comment further because of its duty of care towards participants. Per Capital, he was removed after just his first day in Casa Amor, once production uncovered the incident from his past.
Public Reaction and Consequences #
The removal quickly became a talking point, with many viewers directing their anger at ITV’s screening process rather than at Garland: “This genuinely proves Love Island don’t do any background checks,” one fan wrote, while another asked, “What the hell is happening? Who’s in charge of the background checks?” Others argued the situation deserved more nuance because Garland himself was never convicted — “Am I reading that right? His friend who is a totally separate dude did it. He was not charged at all,” one user wrote — while others focused on ITV’s repeated casting controversies this season, with one writing, “The amount of people being kicked out this year because producers failed to do proper background checks.” His exit marked the season’s second unexpected departure, after George Knight left the villa earlier in the series — ITV initially citing personal reasons, with later reports linking that exit to offensive language. Producers confirmed Garland would not be replaced, leaving the girls with five Casa Amor boys instead of the planned six. Because the Casa Amor episodes had already been filmed, viewers still briefly saw Garland enter the villa before his exit was addressed.
Current Status #
Garland broke his silence in a video shared on Instagram on Friday, July 3, 2026. “It is a shame that I’m making this video, but after everything that’s been said about me over the past couple days, I just wanted to clear a few things up,” he said, describing “an incident that happened at a party I was at when I was a teenager” as one that “should not be taken lightly, and was very traumatic for everyone concerned.” He added: “I just wanted to make it clear that the legal judge has found no wrongdoing against me, and I don’t have a criminal record. This has obviously resulted in me leaving Love Island, which is very disappointing, especially from a personal perspective.” He said he wanted to speak directly “instead of having headlines say it for me,” thanked people for their kind and supportive messages, and said he wanted “to move forward from this in a positive way.” By the time Capital published its follow-up on July 22, 2026, the series had moved on without him: Priya Jaswal had since coupled up with Jordon Wilson and then Aidan Murphy, and ITV’s position stood that Garland had left the villa and would not return.
Impact on Their Career/Life #
The cancellation effectively erased Garland’s Love Island debut: though he was featured entering the villa with the other Casa Amor boys, his presence was heavily edited out after the case came to production’s attention. His unaired time became a storyline-in-absence: Capital’s exclusive revealed who he had been getting to know — dumped Islander Seán Fitzgerald said Priya found it “so annoying he left” because she had wanted to couple up with him, and Lola Deal added that “they were actually really cute together” and that Priya “brought it up like 10 times.” Garland himself said he had been dumped while “forming a really, really strong connection in there as well, which you guys didn’t get to see, which is sad.” The case also became a reference point in the season’s growing criticism of ITV’s casting pipeline: a contestant removed without ever facing a charge, after a broadcaster had already filmed him into its episodes.