Love Island Casa Amor newcomer Martha Rothwell reveals she’s bisexual
“I was dating men and they were all just ending terribly," said Rothwell
By Aaron Sugg
Love Island introduced the Casa Amor cast in last night’s episode (28 June), where newcomer Martha Rothwell came out as bisexual on-screen.
Speaking with Lorenzo and bombshell Finley after arriving in the second villa, Martha said: “My recent ex was a girl. We were together for nine months.”
She went on to explain that, since that relationship ended, she had continued to date men, though it felt “different” from before. “I’ve had situationships with boys since then. It was good, it was just different,” she explained.
“I was dating men and they were all just ending terribly” – Martha Rothwell on dating women
The personal shopper from London also opened up about why she broadened her dating pool, revealing that a string of disappointing relationships with men prompted her to give dating women a try.
“I was dating men and they were all just ending terribly. My friends were like, ‘You need to try a girl’ so I changed all my dating apps,” she said. “So when you said ‘what’s your type’ I don’t really know.”
Despite Rothwell being bisexual, the ITV2 dating show is built around traditional male-female couples, so it is unlikely she will pair up with another woman on the show.
LGBTQ+ contestants on Love Island
This is not the first bisexual woman to enter the villa. Love Island season 2 saw the show’s first-ever same-sex couple when Katie Salmon and Sophie Gradon coupled up, becoming the first and, so far, only same-sex couple to appear on the reality dating programme. Gradon died in 2018 at the age of 32.
Megan Barton Hanson, who first starred in Love Island season 4 and later appeared on Peacock’s spin-off, Love Island Games, publicly came out as bisexual following her stint on the show in 2018. Other contestants to come out after appearing on the show include season 5 winner Amber Gill.
International seasons have featured bisexual men, though the UK version has yet to have any cast members come out publicly.
“Bisexual men don’t have very much representation on TV” – Nicholas Birchall leaving Love Island USA season 4
Nicholas Birchall from Love Island USA season 4 left the show early before coming out as bisexual on Instagram. He wrote: “Even though the Villa didn’t ultimately end up feeling like the right place to say my truth, I still wanted to share it with y’all and take this weight off my shoulders.”
“Bisexual men don’t have very much representation on TV and after being home with my family, I realised I still want to be that role model and use my given platform to encourage inclusivity in media. I’m excited to be that guy for every person who has ever felt uncomfortable/unhappy with who they are,” he continued.