Inside the new Love Island villa as bosses AXE huge part of Hideaway and give pool Bali-style makeover

The Sun

3 days ago

LOVE Island bosses have overhauled the villa ready for the summer series - and shelved one longstanding feature of the show.
The Hideaway will look extremely different when loved-up Islanders head into the luxury breakout-pad this year thanks to the changes.
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That's because the wardrobe of sexy lingerie and cupboard of whips, chains, chocolate body paint and handcuffs have been axed.
Instead Islanders can nip inside for a civilised cocktail or cosy chat with one rule - they cannot be in an official couple to use the space, like last year.
The Hideaway has seen raunchy scenes as recently as summer 2024, when Joey Essex and Jessy Potts had the champagne bucket rocking with their nighttime action.
Executive producer Mike Spencer-Hayter said: 'It's about keeping the show fresh and exciting.
'I personally don't want to see 'ooh, let's open a cupboard and get something out.'
'I think we've seen it time and time again. I think we've got to move on.
'I don't want this show to feel static. This show has to feel fresh.
'I think as producers we need to keep ahead of the curve because we are the number one dating show in the world. The stats speak for themselves but we can't rely on that.
'We've got a push forward.
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'We are going to give it all we've got to make the most exciting season of Love Island.'
Elsewhere there's been another huge loss - the iconic garden beanbags.
Instead of the 'cursed' yellow sacks, a series of chic, beige wooden seats are in place.
The pool has also had an upmarket overhaul with a Bali-style hammock added near the outdoor shower.
And another new aspect is a huge dining table has been added to the kitchen because for the first time, conversations as Islanders eat their lunch and dinner could be screened.
Mike said: 'We just thought, why not, let's just keep those chats.
'It will still probably feel a bit off camera, but it feels like in this day and age, show it.
'Sometimes, it feels like, why isn't it on camera? There's always lots of whispering and obviously sometimes it will affect show action, like how do they know that?
'The viewer hasn't seen that, now they will see it.'
There's also some impressive new changes made to make this villa the most sustainable ever.
The entire site now runs on solar power.
And there's also a watt bike in place so the Islanders can pedal to charge up their Google Pixel mobile phones.
The changes come after Mike laid down the gauntlet to the whole production team to ensure the series was the best yet to mark the tenth anniversary.
Mike said: 'When we sat down at the start of the year we were having a discussion about how to do Love Island this year. And with every single aspect of this show, let's look at it, let's see how we can improve it and let's see how we can make it more exciting for the viewers.
'Because it's a big commitment - 57 shows through the summer.
'You need people to tune in every night, get invested and follow the love stories.
'So I think we did set the challenge to every department - how do we make this better?'
Mike reckons they've got a fun cast this year too - with a huge number ready to roll through the doors.
He added: 'I think we'll be putting more bombshells in than before - we did 54 one year.
'I feel like it reminds me of Love Island in the early days. Personality is key.
'I think we're going to see real love.
'They're a good group and a good mix, but great bombshells as well.'
Love Island begins on Monday at 9pm on ITVX.
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