Love Island Australia winner Tina Provis has revealed the “sad” reason why she struggled during her stint on Channel Nine’s popular dating show.
The 28-year-old winner of the 2021 series shared a heartbreaking post on Instagram revealing that she felt insecure on the show as she was one of the few non-white cast members.
“Looking back on my Love Island experience, the environment reinforced a fear I’ve had for a long time that I can barely admit to myself: I’m not as good as someone who’s white,” she began.
Tina, who won the show alongside Mitch Hibberd, said she worried about finding love on the show as she was the only Asian person in a predominantly white cast.
She said: ‘When you’re stuck between coloured plexiglass and annoying neon signs, you wonder, ‘Doesn’t anyone want me because I’m Asian?’
‘I was having a conversation with another POC islander where we wondered if our race made us less attractive.
“Ultimately, it’s a social experience and everything that happens is a reinforcement of behavior in the real world.”
Although it was a confronting and “sad” experience for her to take part in the show, Tina said she agreed to help create more diversity on Australian television.
Love Island Australia winner Tina Provis (pictured) has revealed the ‘sad’ reason why she struggled during her stint on Channel Nine’s hit dating show
Tina first found romance with AFL star Mitch, 27, when she appeared on the reality series in 2021.
The pair were crowned winners of the Channel Nine show’s third season, but went their separate ways in January 2022.
Later that year, shocking events unfolded when they both returned as singles in the fourth season of Love Island, sparks flying as their romance blossomed once again.
However, their second attempt at romance failed as they went their separate ways just months after reuniting on the series.
“After the Villa we kept seeing each other for a few months. It was really tough with the distance, between Melbourne and Sydney,” Mitch said at the time.
The 28-year-old winner of the 2021 series shared a heartbreaking post in which she revealed that she felt insecure on the show because she was one of the few non-white cast members (pictured with her castmates)
“There were a lot of challenges around that, and ultimately it didn’t work out. I think the timing wasn’t right, but having said that, we caught up recently and that was really good.
“We’re both very supportive of each other and think highly of each other. We’re still friends, we still talk, but we’re not together anymore.”
Tina added that Mitch was the one who initiated the breakup because he was “not emotionally available enough for a relationship.”
“There was never anything I could really criticize, other than the fact that we’re the same people who broke up six months ago,” she added.
Tina later admitted she was ‘shocked’ by their first split when she spoke on the Hit Network’s Hot Nights with Abbie Chatfield.
Tina initially found romance with AFL star Mitch Hibberd, 27, during her stint on the reality series in 2021 and they were crowned winners, before splitting shortly after
“Three weeks ago I would not have thought I would be sitting here and having this conversation,” she said. “I’m shocked that things have gotten to the point where they are.”
She said the couple had a great relationship and friendship, but one day they woke up and realized things weren’t the same anymore.
Tina’s current relationship status is unknown, but Mitch is rumoured to be dating Love Island UK winner Abi Moores.