Love Island reveal HUGE twist for the summer season

Love Island bosses have announced a giant twist ahead of Monday’s launch show.

For the first time, the summer season will give the public the task of deciding which islanders will participate in the launch show.

It’s a twist that was introduced earlier this year for the winter series and immediately caused chaos among the islanders.

The participants will be announced in the coming days and the public can vote for free via the Love Island app.

Voting opens at 8 a.m. Thursday morning and closes at 9 p.m. Friday evening.

Love Island bosses also announced that stars of this year’s summer series will be banned from all social media activity as they unveiled their latest duty of care policy.

Bosses tested the new policy on their winter series earlier this year, with stars barring loved ones from updating their social media profiles while at the villa in a bid to reduce trolling.

And in their latest policy, revealed ahead of the new series on June 5, bosses confirmed they will enforce this new rule.

Stars will also receive video training on topics such as mutually respectful behavior in relationships, controlling and coercive behaviors and language around disabilities, sexuality, race and ethnicity, and micro-aggressions.

It comes after the latest series was hit with hundreds of Ofcom complaints about ‘toxic’ behavior from the female stars, with exchanges that left their male co-stars in tears.

Bosses have formally introduced a guideline asking contestants to “pause” their social media accounts for the duration of their time on the show.

This is to ensure the stars and their families are “protected from the adverse effects of social media.”

Former star Amy Hart gave her thoughts on this ban, after letting a friend run her own social media while at the villa.

She said: “Going into the villa I didn’t really take into account that although my best friend was really excited to run my social media account, it was me who signed up to do the show, not my family and not my friends.

“But it was they who had to read the death threats and it was they who had to read the horrible messages.

“Whereas when I came out, I had a great reaction because of the way I left, and they were the ones who struggled when I was there.”

Finalist Tasha Ghouri added, “I think this is amazing and must be done. I believe it is 100% the right step in the right direction, I saw much less trolling and negativity.”

This year’s inclusion training will feature talks led by BCOMS (Black Collective of Media in Sport) founder Leon Mann MBE, with DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) consultant Hayley Bennett, disability specialist Shani Dhanda and broadcaster Sean Fletcher.

First introduced in 2022, these discussions will cover topics such as inclusive language and behaviour, creating safe spaces and being a good ally.

Before appearing on the show, prospective Islanders will also watch a video co-directed by the show’s Executive Producer and Head of Welfare, interviewing former Islanders about their experiences with the show.

This includes details about the two week period before entering the Villa, how they will cope with being filmed 24/7, the interaction they will have with producers, the support they will receive from family, dealing with trolls and adjusting to life outside the show.

All stars have access to a long-term aftercare package, which provides support for Islanders after their time on the show.

This year’s stars will also receive training on financial management, the impact of social media and dealing with potential negativity, and guidance on how to take on management after leaving the show.

Speaking of the show’s welfare procedures, 2021 winner Liam Reardon said: ‘I found the welfare chats helpful as it gave us a chance to get away from villa life and talk to someone off camera.

‘It was nice to speak to someone every few days who wasn’t in the villa who was there to just listen or offer advice. The psychiatrists were also a great help in times when things got a bit more difficult.’

Amy Hart added: ‘The Welfare team were very helpful after I left. I also had a lot of therapy with the therapist I had in the villa, so it was lovely to have that continuation of care, and ITV was really supportive of that.”

Dr. Paul Litchfield said: ‘The measures taken to protect the health and well-being of the islanders continue to evolve in the light of experience and progress in best practice.

“Love Island is regarded by many as the benchmark for the genre and its rigorous, evidence-based approach has helped raise standards across the industry.”

Dr. Matthew Gould added: ‘Maintaining continued creativity coupled with an increased duty of care is the difficult balancing act, and significant progress has been made in this regard.

“It is important not to suppress the spark and spontaneity that islanders uniquely bring to the format. A determined focus on building the psychological evidence base will help maintain this balance.”

It comes after Love Island’s winter series was hit by hundreds of Ofcom complaints about ‘toxic’ behavior from the female stars.

Produced by Lifted Entertainment, Maya Jama will return to Love Island this summer as the host presiding over all the Villa action in Mallorca.

Renowned comedian and storyteller Iain Stirling returns as a voiceover for each episode of the much-loved format.

Also returning this summer is the official Love Island podcast, Love Island: The Morning After, hosted by Sam Thomspon and Indiyah Polak as they discuss their thoughts on the latest couplings, dumpings and bombshell antics.

Love Island returns on Monday 5 June at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.