Who is Adam Collard and why is Women's Aid concerned about his Love Island return?

The 26-year-old was accused of gaslighting the last time he was on the show

Adam Collard faced criticism (ITV/PA)

Adam Collard's arrival to the Love Island villa last night was welcomed by many of the girls — but some are concerned about what his return means for the behaviour deemed acceptable on the show.

The former personal trainer was one of the first contestants on the hit show back in 2018, where he coupled up with Kendall Rae-Knight and Rosie Williams, before moving on to Zara McDermott and Darylle Sargeant.

But while his reappearance on Monday night was met with excitement from this year's female cohort, the 26-year-old has been criticised for his previous behaviour on the show.

Adam Collard and Zara McDermott at the National Television Awards in 2019 (Matt Crossick/PA)

In particular, viewers of the ITV2 dating show were shocked when he smirked as Rosie Williams cried following their split.

At the time, Katie Ghose, then chief executive of Women’s Aid, released a statement highlighting “clear warning signs" in his behaviour towards Williams including "questioning her memory of events, trivialising her thoughts or feelings, and turning things around to blame her'.

Williams also addressed Collard's behaviour, later telling the Jeremy Vine Show she thought he had actually been “sort of praised” for his actions after leaving the villa.

"Not by the public – the public were very much on my side. But when it came to work, he very much seemed to have a lot more of the work that came along for being this player.”

A reminder of the last time Adam Collard was in the villa #LoveIsland pic.twitter.com/ufFrBPW6Zz

— Chester (@chesteredwards_) July 10, 2022

Now, Women's Aid has released another statement, saying: 'In the 2018 series of Love Island, we saw Rosie rightly call out Adam for his unacceptable behaviour, which included gaslighting and emotional abuse.

“We hope that ITV recognise how serious this issue is and that it must be learned from, considering they have asked Adam to return to the show.

“Love Island is watched by many young people and we know what a huge influence it has. Producers must make sure there is support for contestants throughout, and intervene if relationships become unhealthy or abusive.”

Adam Collard's return marks the first time in Love Island history that a contestant from a past series has been brought back in for a second time.

Collard's return marks the first time in Love Island history that a contestant from a past series has been brought back in for a second time.

In the short time since he's joined the latest series, the Newcastle native has already pulled a number of girls for a chat including Paige Thorne, Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu, and Gemma Owen, all of whom are already coupled up.