Limerick's Lee Reeves addresses ‘crazy’ Love Island speculation

BOXER LEE Reeves has spoken for the first time about the “crazy” speculation he was set to appear on Love Island.

Ahead of his reality TV debut this weekend on the BBC One reboot of Survivor UK, the Roxboro man admitted he had been contacted by a number of shows broadcast by rival network ITV over the last number of years - but declined to directly mention the dating show.

Instead, he is one of 18 contestants on Survivor UK, which will begin this Saturday night at 8pm.

As part of this, he jetted out to the Dominican Republic where he competed against others in a series of psychological and mental challenges while trying to win the overall cash prize of £100,000.

When Lee jetted off to the Caribbean to start filming in June, it set tongues wagging, because it was at the same time Love Island’s contestants descended on Mallorca.

At the time, he told his more than 20,000 followers on Instagram that he will be off his social media.

Limerick boxer among the crowds at ‘The Tourist’ season two wrap party.

“Got a lot of stuff going on that will eventually be told. All positive I hope! It may be for a week or may be a month so have patience and don’t unfollow me cause I will be back,” he promised.

Having set off from Ireland to film Survivor UK, he recalls changing flights in New York’s JFK airport, and his phone lighting up.

“I put up a post when I was going onto the plane. Then by the time I was in JFK in New York, people were saying I was going into Casa Amor and all this! I don’t watch Love Island. But I was getting tagged in all these sorts of things. I hope my girlfriend didn’t go too mad over it,” he told the Limerick Leader.

Without naming Love Island, Lee said ITV which broadcasts the show had been in contact with him about appearing on one of its shows.

“I was offered shows around this, like dating and nightlife over the past couple of years. But they never appealed to me,” he admitted.

In fact, Lee says he has rejected “90%” of the reality television shows he had been offered to audition for.

“I’m not into the ‘show off your abs, fake staged stuff,” he said, “But when Survivor got in touch, I felt something different to this. It was a real reality show which will show the real El Champo in his most vulnerable position.”

El Champo is a nickname Lee goes by in the boxing ring, where he has 10 wins and just one loss from eleven bouts.

Tune into episode one of Survivor UK, 8pm on Saturday, BBC One.