Love Island recently came under fire for their alleged lack of body diversity on the show.
However, Anna Vakili has claimed she will ‘representing the curvy girls’ in the villa during an interview with MailOnline ahead of her arrival on the show which kicks off on Monday.
The 28-year-old pharmacist revealed that her Middle Eastern roots and voluptuous frame will ensure that she stands out from the other girls in the opening line up of the programme.
On a mission: Anna Vakili has claimed she will ‘representing the curvy girls’ in the villa during an interview with MailOnline
She said: ‘I don’t think they’ve never had a Middle Eastern girl before, so I’ve got that bit of Middle Eastern spice. I’m a bit curvier as well than some of the girls that have been on before, so I’m repping it for the curvy girls too.
‘And because I’m a pharmacist, I’m very different… Dr Alex was like a proper doctor, whereas I feel you don’t have to be a medical professional and still be really serious and formal – you can have both worlds.
She added that she thinks she offers both sides: ‘You can be smart and professional, but at the same time have fun. And you can wear what you want too’.
Voluptuous: The 28-year-old pharmacist revealed that her Middle Eastern roots and voluptuous frame will ensure that she stands out from the other girls in the opening line up of the programme
Anna revealed that her decision to study pharmacy was highly encouraged by her family, however, they also support her decision to pursue a career in reality TV.
She recalled the moment she told them she had applied for the show, saying: ‘I wouldn’t say they were over the moon, “woo, we forced her to do pharmacy and now she’s going on reality TV”, but they’re not against it either.
‘They’re like we forced her to do that and if she wants to take her route, we have to let her spread her wings. They just want to make sure I’m doing the right thing.’
She said: ‘I don’t think they’ve never had a Middle Eastern girl before, so I’ve got that bit of Middle Eastern spice. I’m a bit curvier as well than some of the girls that have been on before, so I’m repping it for the curvy girls too'
She also divulged that although her dad won’t admit it, he is secretly ‘a little bit excited’ for her appearance on the show and has even left little messages in her suitcase.
Anna revealed: ‘You won’t believe it, but he wrote me little notes and stuck it in my suitcase. I opened it up and it’s like political stuff saying ‘Anna, you have to mention that women have been oppressed by men’ and I don’t think he understands what it’s about.’
When it comes to knowing that her father and the rest of her family will be watching her more intimate on-screen moments, Anna said that she will just have to ‘block it out’.
Standing out: ‘And because I’m a pharmacist, I’m very different… Dr Alex was like a proper doctor, whereas I feel you don’t have to be a medical professional and still be really serious and formal – you can have both worlds'
She said: ‘I think that’s the same with everyone really, no-one really wants to be kissing guys in front of their parents. So I have to block it out and be myself.’
Anna confessed that she didn’t hesitate to say yes when she was approached on Instagram to be on this year’s series of the hit ITV2 show.
She added that as well as it being a good experience, it may also be an opportunity to meet someone, as she joked ‘because everything else hasn’t worked so far and I’m 28’.
When quizzed over why she may have caught the casting agents eye, Anna said: ‘Maybe because I’m just a poser and out there constantly taking photos.
Best of both worlds: She added that she thinks she offers both sides: ‘You can be smart and professional, but at the same time have fun. And you can wear what you want too’
‘In the end, it did something good. All my ex-boyfriends would be like, ‘why are you always on the ‘gram taking pictures?’ but I was waiting for that moment and it happened, so in their face!’
If she was in the villa during last year’s season, Anna revealed she would have opted for winner Jack Fincham, who split with his girlfriend Dani Dyer eight months after the show.
She said: ‘I liked Jack Fincham. For me, it’s not looks that are important. It’s a bonus, and if I was to go for looks, it would be a darker look, dark hair, dark eyes, tall because I’m small, and I’ve got to feel like I’m a bit of a girl, you know.’
Bye! Anna has left her job as a pharmacist, but said: 'Coming from a Middle Eastern background, they’re quite strict on education and you have to do pharmacy, medicine or dentistry'
Anna candidly joked that she doesn’t want a man who hops from girl to girl: ‘And I like a guy that’s a bit fussy and he wouldn’t just go for any vagina.
Some guys are just like that – it didn’t work out with this vagina, so I’ll just move on to this vagina.’
If her man does jump ship and starts chatting up another girl, Anna admitted that she would be reasonable about it unless they had put an official title on their relationship.
Different path: Anna revealed that her decision to study pharmacy was highly encouraged by her family, however, they also support her decision to pursue a career in reality TV
She said: ‘Because I know the concept of the show, if it was a guy I was coupled up with at the beginning, I wouldn’t mind because that’s what we’re there for – to find someone.
‘But if it was my boyfriend and it was an official thing, oh my god, I might get kicked out, so let’s not talk about that.’
Discussing her exit from the show, Anna revealed she was ‘born ready’ for the level of fame she is inevitably going to encounter upon her return to reality.
'I'll block it out': When it comes to knowing that her father and the rest of her family will be watching her more intimate on-screen moments, Anna said that she will
