Love Island contestant Munveer Jabbal insists he won’t have sex on TV because he is a practicing Punjabi Sikh and vows to stay true to his South Asian roots.
The tech recruiter, 30, told MailOnline he aims to be “respectful” in the villa because his mother will be watching.
He hopes potential brides will see beyond his religion, skin color and tattoos and get to know his true self, but says his culture is a big part of his identity.
Munveer admitted he had never seen an episode of the ITV2 series, but said he needed no persuasion to sign up because he is “single, handsome” and looking for a long-term partner.
And he claims that a story he told in his promotional video, where he brags about having slept with three women in one day during a boy’s vacation, is behavior that he showed when he was in his early 20s, but that he has now matured and He has become a better man.
Love Island contestant Munveer Jabbal insists he won’t have sex on TV because he is a practicing Punjabi Sikh and vows to stay true to his South Asian roots.
The tech recruiter told MailOnline he intends to be “respectful” in the villa because his mother will be watching.
He hopes potential brides will see beyond his religion, his skin color and his tattoos and get to know his true self, but he says his culture is a big part of his identity.
He said: ‘I am religious, I am Punjabi Sikh, but I don’t practice as much as before, but I maintain my beliefs and my religion and where I come from, I will never forget my roots. It’s a big part of me.
‘I represented the South Asian community and people in my position and showed them that it is possible for us.
‘There’s a lot of diversity around it and obviously being half Indian, half English, I’m the best of both, you know? I hope they can look beyond the skin color, the tattoos and the pretty smile and see me as I am, that is the most important thing.
‘My mom is going to be watching. Just no to sex in the villa… I’m more respectful than that.
Although not a die-hard fan of the dating series, Munveer says joining the show was a no-brainer.
He added: “I’ve never watched Love Island before. I watched bits of it when she was my ex-girlfriend. But I’m single, apparently handsome, and you’re going to put me in a villa with absolute rockets, and I’ll make some friends… who wouldn’t want to make that?’
Gloating about his previous conquests, Munveer admitted to sleeping with three women in one day while on holiday in Kos, but says he is a completely different person today and doesn’t even drink alcohol.
He said: “That was a long, long time ago, it was my first holiday abroad, anything goes, kind of behavior and mentality, very young, stupid, that’s not normal behaviour.”
Gloating about his previous conquests, Munveer admitted to sleeping with three women in one day while on holiday in Kos, but says he is a completely different person today.
The islander hopes to find the “girl of his dreams” in the villa and says he won’t let the age difference affect his decision, as Munveer is nine years older than the youngest contestant.
‘I’ve been in relationships for my 20s and I’ve definitely matured over time, it’s not the standard Saturday night anymore.
‘I don’t miss it, to be honest, my life has changed. My work dynamics, my environment, my personal life, you are comparing an 18-year-old and a 30-year-old, I am on different pages of my life.
‘Of course, I like to party, but I don’t drink a lot… I don’t like to drink a lot, so on longer weekends… with alcohol you make bad decisions and mistakes and you tend to go crazy, but now I’m at At the tender age of 30, life is a little different for me.’
The islander hopes to find the “girl of his dreams” in the villa and says he won’t let the age difference affect his decision, as Munveer is nine years older than the youngest contestant.
He said: ‘For me it’s about energy, vibe, personality and maturity, above all. So if there is a lot of common ground, we are on the same page on certain things and she has a mature head, that is more important compared to her age, but obviously I have limits in my mind.
‘For me it’s about finding that connection. The girl of my dreams is someone who is family oriented, who loves acts of service, physical contact, these things are important to me, someone who is kind and loving… personality is very important to me now.
“But in terms of looks, I’ve always gone for blonde hair and blue eyes, but I’ll do it with an open mind, it’s about connection and energy for me.”
Love Island returns on Monday June 3 at 9pm on ITV1, ITV2, ITVX and STV