Influencer Patsy Field will become the latest disabled contestant to star on Love Island, MailOnline has announced.
The Londoner, 29, was born with Erb’s palsy, which developed during her traumatic birth at Lewisham hospital.
Patsy has told how she was supposed to be born by caesarean section, but doctors made the crucial mistake of allowing her to give birth naturally, resulting in a defect that she has had to overcome her entire life.
The condition means her right arm is shorter and cannot function as well as her left. Patsy admits she has felt “self-conscious” but has learned to embrace it as she matures.
She follows in the footsteps of Tasha Ghouri, the first deaf islander to star in the ITV2 dating series, visually impaired Ron Hall, and clubfoot native Hugo Hammond.
Influencer Patsy Field will become the latest disabled contestant to star on Love Island, MailOnline has announced
The Londoner was born with Erb’s palsy, which developed during her traumatic birth at Lewisham hospital
She explained her condition on social media, saying: ‘One thing you guys don’t know about me is that I have a disability. I’ve never talked about it here before because I’m honestly a little unsure about it.
‘It is a disability that I have literally had since birth. All my close friends and family know about it.
“Pretty much everyone says they don’t notice it, or they’ve never noticed it before, but if I tell you to go back and look through my old videos, you’ll be able to see it.
‘So the disability affects my right arm, I was a normal, happy, healthy baby in my mother’s womb and the hospital screwed up and gave me a disability, Lewisham hospital, you f***ers.
‘I should have given birth by caesarean section, but the midwife thought she could do it and she couldn’t… I was such a big baby, I weighed almost 4.5 kilos, a normal baby weighs about 2, 5 kilos. I got stuck coming out of my mother… and they’re pulling and pulling and pulling and while they’re ripping me out, they’ve done some damage.
“They broke the nerve that sends messages from my brain through my spine to my right arm, trying to send messages, and this computer says no.
‘As a result I have a disability called Erb’s Palsy and my arm has never grown that much and it doesn’t actually do anything, they are completely different lengths.
“I like to call it my Nemo lucky fin. It is smaller, has a different shape and is more curved than the others. I have managed to avoid bullying, luckily I am a confident girl.
Patsy has told how she was supposed to be born by caesarean section, but doctors made the crucial mistake of allowing her to give birth naturally, resulting in a defect she has had to overcome her entire life.
The condition means her right arm is shorter and cannot function as well as her left. Patsy admits she has felt “self-conscious” but has learned to embrace it
A TV insider told MailOnline: ‘She has never let her disability define her, but she is also excited about the opportunity to educate the public who may not yet know about Erb’s palsy’
Patsy’s signing comes after MailOnline revealed model Grace Jackson (pictured) had secured a place in the series
“I don’t think it’s held me back too much. I remember being at school and seeing all the girls doing their handstands and I had a headstand like everyone else?
“The only thing it affects these days is that I only have one hand in the bedroom.”
A TV insider told MailOnline: ‘Patsy is a brilliant signing for the show, she’s hilarious so will definitely bring good vibes and positive energy.
“She has never let her disability define her, but she is also excited about the opportunity to educate an audience that may not yet know about Erb’s palsy, because awareness is critical.”
Patsy’s signing comes after MailOnline revealed that model Grace Jackson had secured a place in the series, as well as Liverpool make-up artist Samantha Kenny and Wales rugby player Ciaran Davies.
The full line-up will be unveiled by ITV next week ahead of the launch of the show, hosted by presenter Maya Jama.
In previous years, Love Island was criticized for its lack of diversity.
But the 10th series, which starts on June 3, will aim to further include body diverse participants and have a continued focus on participants’ mental health and wellbeing.
The show has already confirmed that the islanders’ social media profiles will remain ‘dormant’ during their stay in the Mallorca villa to prevent trolls and hate directed at their pages.
MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment.
