Love Island stars slam show for sending exes into the villa
Love Island stars Jess and Eve Gale have shared their thoughts on the ITV2 show introducing contestants' exes as bombshell arrivals, saying it's the "worst possible thing". The twins appeared on Love Island in 2020 and returned to the villa in January for All Stars.
After revealing they've been in talks to appear on Love Island USA, Jess and Eve, 25, have opened up about some of the new twists included in the dating show. In recent seasons, Islanders have been faced with their exes in the villa, with the current season seeing Joey Essex reuniting with his ex Grace Jackson.
The arrival of Joey's ex prompted his budding romance with Samantha Kenny to fizzle out, and she was ultimately dumped from the island. Jess said she feels Samantha was at a "disadvantage" due to Grace and Joey's history.
Speaking to The Sun, Jess said: "When you go in, it's the worst possible thing when a bombshell comes in already and when they have added history - especially with Samantha, she was put at a disadvantage and was one step behind."
Meanwhile, Eve said Love Island is beginning to seem too similar to MTV's Ex on the Beach. She added: "I've seen a lot of comments saying that they're ruined the format by copying Ex On The Beach...I think they do it to spice it up but it does feel like very Ex On The Beach vibes. I like how it's normal people going in there and people who don't know each other, it makes it more authentic."
Joey, 33, rekindling his romance with Grace, 25, has sparked speculation that he knew she was entering the villa, with some fans even wondering if they ever really split up. Dumped Islander Samantha has also weighed in on the rumours, admitting she thinks Joey was aware of his ex being lined up as a bombshell.
Speaking exclusively to OK!, Samantha said: "Everyone’s got their conspiracies and I don’t like to read into articles, but I have been sent some things – like that they were out together on Halloween wearing matching outfits. Grace did come into the villa and say they got back speaking again in March, and at that time we were going through the process of the show.
"So, I don’t know… I would never say they were still together but in my personal opinion, I think he knew she was going in because her name was leaked. If you had an intense relationship with someone last year and it came out they were going on Love Island, you’d know about it."
