The TV star says he was ‘discriminated against’ for a surprising reason (stock) (Image: Getty)
A winner of the hit BBC series has revealed that he felt ‘discriminated against’ while on holiday in a popular tourist destination for a very unexpected reason.
The is a small island nation in the Indian Ocean. Its crystal waters, white sand beaches and sunny, warm weather has made it a hit among British , and it has proven especially popular among newlyweds on their honeymoons.
However, Alfie Watts, who won the fourth series of the show, recently spent a week in the tropical paradise and claimed not having someone to travel with meant he was treated differently. In a video shared during the December trip, he said: “I’m in the Maldives this week and I have never felt more discriminated against in any other country in the world.
“I’m not being discriminated against because of my skin colour or the fact that I’m a man, I’m being discriminated against because I am single. Never in my life have I felt so vilified for being single, they can’t believe it. These people that work in the hotel cannot believe that I’m here on my own, it’s like a foreign concept to them.”
“Everyone comes here on honeymoons and things like that, the fact that I’m single blows their minds. The fact that I could possibly be here on my own and I wouldn’t dare bring a companion to have a rampant holiday love with just baffles people here so much so that last night the guy who was serving me at dinner poured me two drinks and told me that I could pretend that someone was sat opposite me.
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He then went on to speak about whether he would recommend the destination for would-be solo holidaymakers. “So would I recommend solo around the Maldives?” he said. “Well, it depends if you want to be an absolute victim for a week. If you do, crack on.
“If you don’t I’d probably still say crack on because the views are worth any kind of abuse. It’s worth taking it, trust me.”
Alfie’s video has racked up 187,000 views, garnered 10,000 likes and sparked nearly 300 comments at the time of writing. Fellow rtavel enthusiasts were quick to share their thoughts, and they had mixed feelings.
One wrote: “Being told to pretend you have a partner by a waiter is crazy.” Another TikToker agreed: “Haha I get that all the time! I’m travelling solo to the Maldives for the fifth time. People always say I’m breaking the rules by coming to the Maldives and not being on my honeymoon.”
In the comments of Alfie’s video, users shared their own experiences, revealing that even locals in the Maldives face scrutiny for being single. One local lamented: “Been there bro, I am from Maldives. I don’t know why being single feels like a crime like people be in disbelief.”
Another added their two cents: “Stay here longer, they’ll probably find someone for you. That’s nothing compared to what we locals deal with…this bullying usually starts at home.”
However, not everyone echoed Alfie’s sentiments. A traveller claimed: “I always travel solo in the Maldives and never had this kind of issue, people are amazing on local islands.”
Someone else shared a more positive experience: “I had the opposite experience – they just gave me an insane free room upgrade just because they thought I’d appreciate it the most.” To which Alfie quipped with sarcasm: “Great. Thanks for ruining my morning.”