Love Island 2020 cancelled because of coronavirus

4 May 2020, 11:03

By Nick Hardinges

@NHardinges

Love Island 2020 has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the ITV 2 show's bosses saying the risk is too high.

It is the first time in the show's history that is has been cancelled and comes after bosses met last week in crisis talks amid the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.

Despite numerous efforts being made to ensure the seventh series went ahead in the summer, those running the programme decided they could not guarantee the safety of contestants and workers.

Considerations were made for testing the participants before entering the villa, or perhaps even moving the dates to later in the year.

Instead, the show, which usually airs in June, will be postponed until the summer of 2021.

Kevin Lygo, Director of Television at ITV told The Sun: “We have tried every which way to make Love Island this summer but logistically it's just not possible to produce it in a way that safeguards the wellbeing of everyone involved and that for us is the priority.

"In normal circumstances, we would be preparing very soon to travel out to the location in Mallorca to get the villa ready but clearly that's now out of the question.

"We are very sorry for fans of the show but making it safely is our prime concern and Love Island will be back stronger than ever in 2021."

Laura Whitmore, who hosted the winter series of Love Island, tweeted: "Like with a lot of things because of restrictions with travel, social distancing and unable to plan ahead, Love Island is postponed until 2021.

"Great news is that there have been more applications than any other series! Next year is going to be BIG. Stay safe."

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Last week, Mr Lygo said he would feel "uneasy" about going ahead with plans to air Love Island, which sees young singles holidaying in a villa together, while the rest of the country was having to adhere to lockdown restrictions.

Producers had considered filming the show "in Cornwall somewhere," the ITV director said, but that was ruled out as it would not "be the same show."

"And we don't want to not make the same show as we have made, because it's been so successful," he added.

Love Island aired its first winter series earlier this year - which was filmed in South Africa - and has been extremely successful in recent years.

However, the show was overshadowed by the death of former host Caroline Flack who took her own life on 15 February aged 40.

More than 12,000 applications were made to the show over the past six weeks with extra staff being drafted in to help deal with the uptick.

New host Laura Whitmore is expected to return to front the show, alongside her fiance and narrator Iain Stirling.