After days of uncertainty and an unprecedented delay, Love Island: All Stars is finally set to return to screens, with the new series launching tonight, Thursday 15 January at 9pm on Virgin Media PLAY and Virgin Media Two.
The show had been due to begin earlier this week, but filming was halted after dangerous wildfires broke out near Cape Town, South Africa, where the All Stars villa is located. The fires forced producers to suspend all activity on site as a safety precaution for the cast, crew and local residents, marking the first time in the franchise’s history that a series launch was postponed because of a natural emergency.
Yvonne Connolly has shared an update on her son Jack Keating after the latest series of Love Island was postponed just days ahead of its launch.
Now, after a four-day delay, ITV has confirmed the villa is safe and production has resumed, allowing the long-awaited third season of Love Island: All Stars to finally get underway. To make up for the lost days of filming and to ensure viewers don’t miss out on any of the drama, the broadcaster has also announced an extra episode this weekend.
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In a break from tradition, there will be a full episode airing on Saturday 17 January at 9pm, instead of the usual Unseen Bits highlights show. It is the first time in the show’s history that Saturday night has been given over to new villa action, with producers keen to keep pace after the disruption.
A video message from host Maya Jama has been shared on the show’s social media channels, reassuring fans that the islanders are ready to go and that the series will now run as planned. In the clip, she thanks viewers for their patience and confirms that everything is now back on track after what she described as a “scary” few days for everyone involved.
The All Stars spin-off brings back former fan-favourite islanders from across the franchise for a second shot at love, with returning faces from previous UK seasons re-entering the villa to try and find romance again. The show has already built huge anticipation, with viewers eager to see which ex-contestants will be reunited, who might rekindle old flames and which couples will form from scratch.
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The new cast includes two former winners — Jess Harding, 25, and Millie Court, 29 — alongside Tommy Bradley, 22, and Helena Ford, 29, who both appeared on the most recent summer series.
They will also be joined by Jack Keating, the son of Irish singer Ronan Keating, who previously featured on series eight, as well as Whitney Adebayo, Ciaran Davies, 23, and Sean Stone, 26.
Rounding out the line-up are Charlie Frederick, 31, Belle Hassan, 27, Leanne Amaning, 28, and Shaq Muhammad, 27, bringing together Islanders from across multiple seasons.
Love Island: All Stars has been forced to postpone filming and delay its highly anticipated launch after wildfires in South Africa led to the evacuation of the show’s villa.
The third series of the ITV spin-off was due to premiere on Monday, but ITV confirmed the broadcast had been pulled after ongoing wildfires caused serious safety concerns in the area surrounding the filming location.
In a statement shared on the show’s official Instagram account, ITV said: “Further to a production evacuation owing to ongoing wildfires in the area, our assessment of the location site has concluded that filming will need to be postponed. Health and safety is our greatest priority and will always come first, and therefore the transmission of Love Island: All Stars will be delayed until a date to be confirmed.”
The disruption came just days after ITV had already cancelled the planned opening episode following a road closure near the villa, as emergency services worked to contain the fires.
According to reports, filming has now been pushed back indefinitely, with firefighters battling through the night in the Wemmershoek region as producers wait for the area to be declared completely safe.
A source said: “Bosses have no choice but to wait for the area to be deemed completely safe. The desire is to be back as soon as possible but risk and health and safety assessments are still ongoing.”
