Love Island cast member and civil servant Sharon Gaffka has praised David Gauke as the most fun minister she has worked for.
The 25-year-old, from Oxford, most recently worked as a contracted operations lead for the Department for Transport before leaving to join the ITV reality show.
She said she felt as if she had held a “personal relationship” with Mr Gauke, who held a number of positions during Theresa May’s Government.
She said: “I would probably say the funnest minister I have ever got to work for was David Gauke.
“He felt very human, very natural and just very funny to talk to.
“It wasn’t about calling him by his job title or anything like that. It was very much like a personal relationship when you are working with him.”
Gaffka, who has competed in the Miss International pageant, revealed that she only told her boss and one colleague that she had successfully applied for the show.
She said: “Throughout the whole process of applying for the show and now getting on the show, it has always been my intention to return back to my profession after the show.
“My sole aim of being in the show is to find a boyfriend or a potential boyfriend and partner. I don’t think fame is something I have always put a lot of focus in.”
She said the idea of dating a politician was “not something I have ever thought about or planned”.
“I think I have worked with so many and I have worked there so long that it has never crossed my mind,” she added.
Gakkfa also said she wanted to “break” the stigma surrounding reality TV contestants being unintelligent.
She said: “I do think there is a stigma and I do think that maybe with previous episodes or series of Love Island that some of the comments about certain contestants were quite unfair.
“But having a different kind of person, or having variety, will probably help with that. So I definitely am hoping to break any kind of stigma about reality TV.”
Love Island starts at 9pm on June 28 on ITV2 and ITV Hub. Episodes are available the following morning on BritBox.