Love Island trashes BB

New girl Nikki has spiced up the Love Island.
11 April 2012
The Weekender

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Celebrity Love Island has beaten Big Brother in the reality show ratings.

The ITV dating show - panned by the critics - pulled in one million more viewers than its Channel 4 rival last night.

Celebrity Love Island had an average of 4.7 million while Big Brother managed just 3.7 million, according to unofficial overnight figures.

When the two shows went head-to-head between 10pm and 10.30pm, Celebrity Love Island was still 800,000 viewers ahead.

It had 4.1 million viewers while Big Brother had 3.3 million.
Celebrity Love Island enjoyed a ratings boost because it was shown directly after Coronation Street.

And ITV bosses have spiced up the show by introducing Playboy model Nikki Zierling.

Former Hollyoaks actor Paul Danan instantly fell for her - and dumped the previous object of his affections, Lady Isabella Hervey.

But footballer Lee Sharpe was gutted when he was sent to the Love Shack with the American blonde rather than his new love interest, Abi Titmuss.

Paul left Isabella heartbroken when he abandoned her. He said: "I've realised we are not right together. I don't want to hurt her, but we are not right as boyfriend and girlfriend. I did have feelings for her but there was something missing.

"She's more like a little sister. When she got over-excited it put me off. It was like she was a 15-year-old. That was a turn-off to me."

He dubbed Nikki "amazing marriage material" and declared he was in love with her. "Totally. There's nothing I can do about this one. This is the one," he gushed. "Nikki is everything I always wanted. She is a little miracle."

He told her: "You look like Cameron Diaz. To be honest there aren't many girls who look like you in England."

When Nikki arrived fresh from LA, Paul had the other boys cringing when he asked her how his friends "Jennifer, Cameron and Justin" were doing.

Calum later told Fran: "Did you just hear him? He is doing himself no favours with those questions. Oh my God, that is degrading."

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