Love Island’s Belle Hassan has revealed her support for the Flat Earth conspiracy theory.
In an unseen clip, shared by Love Island’s TikTok account, Belle asked fellow islander Ciaran Davies: ‘Is the Earth flat or round?’
When Ciaran told her that scientists have proved the Earth is flat, Belle promptly fired back.
She asked: ‘Why is everyone not upside down then that lives at the bottom of the Earth?’
The baffled Ciaran had no luck explaining how gravity works, as Belle stuck to her guns on the outlandish theory.
Now, experts have given their brutal verdict on the Love Island: All Stars‘ views.
Dr Jan Šlégr, associate professor of physics at the University of Hradec Králové, told the Daily Mail: ‘Down is always the direction gravity pulls you: towards the centre of the Earth, wherever you are on the surface.
‘In space there isn’t any built–in “up” or “down” – those directions only make sense relative to something like a planet’s gravity.’
Love Island’s Belle Hassan has revealed her support for the Flat Earth conspiracy theory
Belle’s argument stems from a basic misunderstanding about the nature of gravity.
Michael Marshall, project director of the Good Thinking Society, told the Daily Mail: ‘What we often see with this Flat Earth movement is a fundamental failure to really understand the model that they’re rejecting.
‘I think what a lot of Flat Earthers don’t understand is how gravity actually works.’
In our day–to–day lives, it might look like gravity is a force that simply pulls things ‘down’, but this is only because we are so small relative to the size of the Earth.
‘Flat Earthers think that gravity just points down, but it doesn’t point down, it points towards the centre of mass,’ Mr Marshall explained.
‘The world we live on is a spherical Earth. It has a centre of mass at the middle of that sphere. We are always being pulled towards the middle of that sphere.’
You can explain this to Flat Earthers using the simple analogy of a magnet.
Think of gravity as an attractive force that pulls on objects the same way that a magnet pulls on iron filings.
Flat Earthers believe that the world must be flat to prevent people in the Southern Hemisphere from being ‘upside down’. This is a fundamental mistake about how gravity works (stock image)
If you put a powerful magnet inside a tennis ball, it doesn’t matter which side you put fillings on, they will always stick to the surface as they are pulled towards the magnet to the centre.
‘Gravity is doing the same thing to us,’ Mr Marshall said.
If you know a Flat Earther like Belle and want to prove to them that the Earth is round, Dr Šlégr says it is very simple to do so.
He told the Daily Mail: ‘The clues are surprisingly simple. Watch a ship sail away from the coast: it doesn’t just get smaller like a toy in the distance – it disappears hull–first. On a flat Earth, the whole ship should stay visible and just shrink evenly.
‘And then there’s a big one: lunar eclipses.
‘The shadow that moves across the Moon is Earth’s shadow, and it’s curved – a natural result of a round planet.’
However, if you really want to help a Flat Earther ditch their mistaken views, the best option is often not to give evidence that the Earth is round.
Instead, ask them to explain how the world would work according to their theory so that they can see the gaping flaws.
Mr Marshall explains that conspiracy theorists often retreat and refuse to engage when you directly attack their theories.
He adds: ‘It’s much more productive to say, “Why do you think the world is flat? Tell me a reason why the world is flat”, and then explore it from there.’
This way, Flat Earthers and other conspiracy theorists are able to figure out their misunderstandings for themselves.
Dr Šlégr says: ‘In many cases, misconceptions arise from confusion about basic physical concepts rather than deliberate rejection of science.
‘That makes clear, patient explanation especially important.’
